Out of the darkness
by Natalia Tira
Summary: A raid that went too far leaves Snape to care for a little girl. When Remus suggests that hermione enter his home to help, his world begins to change. SSHG Finally Complete! sequel finished
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N: Okay, JKR owns it all, not me. Um, this first chappie is a bit disturbing, but bear with me.)**

He was the only one left standing there, staring out into the night. The rain fell heavily on the top of his head, running the length of his hair and down his face. He could not move. It was as if his feet were cemented into place. He was disgusted, and hated himself with every fiber of his being. It had been two years since he had felt this way. Two years since he performed an act so vile that he wanted to end his miserable, disgraceful life and fall straight into hell where he belonged. Two years since he had to follow through with his promise: to kill the only man he trusted, and would have laid down his life for. He never believed he could hate himself more than after that night. He was wrong.

The order was now well aware that he and Albus had made a plan. A plan he would never have conceded to without Albus' absolute authority and wisdom. He had tried to argue; to tell him that his life meant nothing, and saw no good coming from Albus' death. The older wizard only let out a sad laugh, and told the man that there was something he did not know. He explained that his hand injury was worse than it appeared. The dark magic would slowly eat at the rest of his body, until it spread internally, and eventually kill him. It would be a slow, painful process, and would only give Voldemort more confidence as time went on. He also conveyed that this act would not only give Tom the proof of loyalty he was seeking, but also give Harry Potter enough determination to finish his task. The dark haired man slumped in defeat. He finally agreed. He had condemned himself to a life of self-hatred, and endless torment.

He spent a full year in hiding. His only contact had been Remus Lupin, who was aware of the plans from the beginning. That was crucial for more than one reason. First, Remus would never have accepted his wolfsbane potion if he had not known. Second, there needed to be a contact in the order to pass information onto. And also, he would hold the evidence of the truth until the right time. The plan had worked well. In only a little over a year Harry, Ron, and the order had tracked down and destroyed all of the horcruxes. Hermione and the rest of the women of the order (with the exception of Tonks) had stayed to conduct research and hold down the fort. After the last horcrux was destroyed, Lupin told the members of the order the truth. Not only was there a letter written and signed by Albus, but also memories of the plan's creation. It was impossible to have his name publicly cleared until the fall of Voldemort, so he was still a wanted man in society. Nevertheless, he was still working with the order. According to Remus, Harry still harbored great hatred for him, but was willing to accept the situation due to the fact that it was under the orders of Dumbledore. Harry firmly believed that no matter the task, Dumbledore's orders were to be followed.

None of this mattered anyway. He was a murderer. The final task of killing Voldemort was still left unfinished. Until the evil man was dead, he was still trapped. He just wanted it to be over. He didn't think his conscience could handle any more guilt. He was empty apart from the hatred inside him. After this night, the only reason to go on was to try to restore some peace to the world he was helping destroy. Too many innocent people were being harmed before his very eyes, and he was powerless to stop it. To try would mean revealing and ruining everything that Dumbledore and the others had sacrificed for. He would bide his time. Wait until the end of the evil reign of the Dark Lord, and rid the world of the hollow monster that was Severus Snape.

A flash of lightning and the crush of thunder was what brought him back to his senses, and another wave of guilt washed over him. He looked down at the poor girl. Her body lay broken and motionless. She had never had a chance. Lucius Malfoy had spotted her that day, and a great lust had sparked inside him. He followed her around for hours, ready to pounce. She was a waitress at a nearby restaurant. He learned from another young girl that she had just moved into town. She lived alone, had no remaining family to help her, and was trying to make it on her own. Lucius followed her to her home that night, and just as he was reaching for the door, his arm burned from the call of his master. The Dark Lord finished his ranting, and wished for entertainment to cheer him from his fowl mood. Lucius was ready with a suggestion. There was no stopping it. The rest of the death eaters had apperated away from the scene soon after she had taken her last breath, but one remained behind. He knew he shared in the guilt. He may have hung back from the group, trying not to let her screams enter his ears, or see the terror in her eyes, but he still did nothing to stop it. Telling himself that he had had no choice did nothing to ease his conscience.

He looked down at the young girl once more. The rain was washing the blood away from her body and into the mud below. With shaking, but respectful hands, he closed her eyes and covered her body. For the next few hours he set to the task of digging a grave for the girl. He could have used his wand and had the job done in a matter of seconds, but he did not. He had just thrown the last shovel-full of dirt over the sight when he heard it. It came from inside the house, and he knew the sound in an instant. It was the cry of a child.

His eyes went wide in shock. He had no idea what to do. Somehow, his legs began to move, as if on their own, towards the house. He opened the door, and walked down the dark hallways towards the sound of the whimpering child. She was crouched in a corner of what must have been her mother's bedroom. He could only make out her form in the darkness. When she looked up and saw the form of the man, she became frightened and tried to back deeper into the wall, covering her face with her hands.

"Where's mummy?" she asked trembling. His heart gave a jolt, and a wave of sympathy that he had not felt in a long time swept over him. He got down to her level and spoke in a calm, soft voice.

"Your mummy had to go away. She won't be coming back." The little girl's eyes grew to twice their size before she began to cry. When he reached out to touch her they both drew back. The child drew back from fear, but his sudden withdrawal was for a different reason entirely. One he was not ready to face. Instead he asked about her father.

"I don't have a daddy," she sniffed. "I don't have anyone. It was only me and mummy. Grand mum had to go away too. How come everyone goes away? Where do they go, and why don't they want me?" she said tearfully. Severus was numb. He had helped do this. He had helped take the only person this little girl had out of her life. He knew he could not make it right, but he would do the best he could. If he could do nothing else, he would make sure this child was taken care of.

(A/N: this is a Snape/ Hermione fic, but she comes in in chap 2. **Please review**; let me know your thoughts.)


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N: I don't own anything HP related)**

The small child had exhausted herself from crying, and was now fast asleep on her mother's bed. Light was creeping through the windows of the small home, and Snape stood in the child's bedroom. A small bed sat in the corner of the tiny room, covered by a pink and purple bedspread. The child had few toys. Besides the small brown stuffed bunny, all of her playthings sat in a wooden chest to the right of the bed. The room was cheery enough, with pictures of unicorns and princesses lining the walls, but Severus could tell that the small family had lived in poverty. Again he wondered where the child's father was.

Snape made short work of shrinking the child's few things, and packing them into a suitcase he had found in the closet. When entering the room in which the child slept, he discovered what might have been the answer to his previous question. On the wall hung a photo of a man in uniform, and a newspaper clipping of what seemed to be the announcement of his death. The date was from three years passed. The child really was alone, until now.

Snape carefully lifted the child, trying not to wake her. Suitcase in one hand, and a child in the other, Snape apperated to the only place he believed he could receive some sound advice. He went to the home of Remus Lupin.

Xxxxxxxx

Remus awoke to a pounding sound coming from the side door to his home. He never expected the sight before him when he answered the door, sleepily. Severus Snape was wild eyed, and holding a small form wrapped in a blanket.

"Severus, come in," he told Snape, ushering him inside. "What is going on?" The sleepy tone had now been replaced by severe confusion. Severus looked about ready to come undone. At the child's home, he was solely thinking about what was the right thing to do. He was fine until he reached the steps of Remus' home, then it suddenly occurred to him that he had no idea what he was doing. He was breathing shallow, quick breaths, and had difficulty reiterating the events of the night. When he finally completed the tale, he threw his head in his hands.

"What am I going to do? I couldn't just leave her alone," he pleaded more to himself than to the man sitting across from him. "I just don't know where to go from here."

"And you are positive that she has no one else?" Remus questioned.

"Not positive, but I have it on decent authority that she is very much alone in the world." He finished with a sigh.

"You can always turn her in to the muggle system," Remus began, but Severus cut him off.

"No. She is my responsibility. If I can find no relative, than I will work something out." Suddenly Snape was filled with a desperate rage. If it wasn't for the child sleeping not ten feet from him, he would have yelled and ranted with the force of a hurricane. Instead his voice became low and even. "I can not take this anymore Remus. I can't keep standing by while these disgusting things happen. We need to finish this." Remus hung his head in agreement.

"I would offer you to stay the night, but since it is already morning, I understand you will want to make inquiries immediately." Snape nodded. "Alright, I will put the child up to bed, and look after her today. This evening we can figure out what to do from there."

"Thank you, Remus," Snape said sincerely. Severus was not a man in the habit of offering his gratitude, but in this case he meant it with his entire being. He realized right then and there that Remus was a true friend to him, and Severus did not have many of those.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Remus heard the whimpers around two in the afternoon. He slowly made his way to the bedroom to approach the sound. The little girl was hiding in the closet, hugging her bunny close. Remus approached her with caution, and kindness in his voice.

"I'm not going to hurt you, you can come out if you want to."

"I don't want to," she replied from behind the laundry basket."

"Well that's okay, I only just wanted to see if you were hungry. I am having pancakes myself," he responded with just enough disinterest. That seemed to get her attention, for it had been a long time since she had eaten.

"With chocolate chips?" she asked tentatively.

"I think that can be arranged." A few moments later the small girl crawled out from the closet, but did not approach Remus. Instead she eyed him with suspicion.

"Are you the scary man that brought me here?" she asked quietly. He chuckled softly.

"No, that was a friend of mine. He is coming back soon." She nodded and then sat down on the floor, Remus decided it would be best to do the same.

"He said mummy wasn't coming back," she told him sadly. His heart went out to the little girl. Her long, dark brown curls nearly covered her blue, questioning eyes. "Is that true?"

"I am afraid it is. My friend is looking to see if there is anyone who can take care of you. Do you know if you have anymore family that you would want to stay with?" She shook her head.

"No, everyone had to go away. My Mummy and Grand Mum left me. And I've never seen my Daddy or Granddad."

"How old are you?" Remus asked her. The little girl turned shy and held up four fingers. "You seem very smart. What's your name?"

"Olivia. Olivia Taylor. And my phone number is-"

"Olivia, what a pretty name," Remus cut in. The little girl was obviously smart, but he really wanted to get some food in her. "Let's go eat some chocolate chip pancakes, Olivia."

"Okay," she said excited, but then she bit her lip. "Am I going to live here now?" she asked.

"No, I'm sorry. But soon I will know what will happen, and you'll be the first to know."

He watched her take her little bunny and scamper down the stairs. It seemed that this girl was almost used to people coming in and out of her life. He was saddened by the thought of one so young having to face so much. Part of him believed that there had to be some kind of relative who would take the little girl in, the other part of him already knew that it was not so.

How could Severus possibly care for this girl, even with his strong determination and sense of responsibility to do so? Suddenly a thought struck him. Could it possibly work out? He didn't know, but it was worth a try. While little Olivia ate her pancakes, Remus sat down and wrote a short note. Olivia looked at him very curiously when he tied the note to an owl and set it out the window. All he could do now was wait.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Hermione Granger was sitting at her desk in the flat she share  
d with another girl her age. She had been looking through newspapers trying to decide what to do. Here she had graduated early by simply independently studying and taking the N.E.W.T exams, finishing her duel Transfiguration and Charms majors in less than two years, and all to sit and wait. She should be looking for her dream career, but no. She was told to keep a low profile. Harry and Ron were out gallivanting, saving the world, and she was stuck in a two bedroom flat she shared with a stranger. And to top it all off, that stranger decided to get married, and Hermione was not going to live with a newlywed couple. She was going through the next stack of papers, looking for a new place to live, when an owl tapped at her window.

"Oh what now?" she asked aloud to no one in particular. She was twenty years old, a college graduate, and now she was talking to herself. _Get it together, girl. _Learning was still her passion, and that was about it. She grew to be an attractive woman. Her hair was at least manageable with a straighter, if there was ever an occasion where she gave her hair a second thought. Usually she just sat up all night reading, or researching for the order. After her parents moved to Ireland because of a job offer for her father, Ginny going to study abroad in America, and her two best friends going God knows where, she felt very alone. Not depressed, just lonely. She opened the note.

Hermione-

There is a bit of a situation I would like to discuss with you if you have an open mind. It involves Severus Snape, and to be frank, he does not know that I am writing to you. However, I have decided for the both of us that we need your help. The sooner I hear from you the better.

Your Friend,

Remus Lupin

Hermione reread the letter, and it still gave her no clue as to what he was talking about. She decided the only way to find out was to just get up and go. She figured she knew why Remus had warned her that the situation involved Severus. The thing was, people, aside from Remus, had not actually seen him since the night of Albus' death. Everyone was aware of the truth, but to see him may be a bit of a shock. Hermione had no doubts about seeing him. From the very beginning she had trusted him, and greatly respected him. When the truth came out and he was cleared by the order, she was greatly relieved. She could never produce the amount of venom towards him during that time that she was supposed to. It felt nice to know that she could still put her trust and admiration in him. She decided to owl Remus with an answer.

Remus-

I will be more than happy to help in any way I can. Should I just floo over around 4 pm then? I'll wait for your reply.

Sincerely,

Hermione Granger

P.S. It will be good to se Professor Snape again. I hope he will accept any help I can give.

With that, she got up from the desk and got ready to take a quick shower before her meeting with Remus, never expecting what type of request lay in store for her.

**(A/N: I hope you enjoyed the second chapter. Please Review. I want to hear your comments or questions.)**


	3. Chapter 3

**(A/N: I don't own HP. I hope you enjoy the chapter)**

Luckily Remus had just put Olivia down for a nap before Hermione flooed into his living room. They greeted each other with a warm embrace and he motioned her to sit. Plopping into the shaggy brown sofa, Hermione laughed.

"Okay Remus, what is this all about?" she asked, reaching for the cup of tea her friend offered her.

"If you don't mind, I'd really rather wait until Severus comes back. He will have an update, and then we will know exactly what the situation is."

"It sounds bad," she replied, setting down her cup. He nodded in the affirmative. She sat back in the seat and played nervously with the ring on her finger. "Is it Voldemort?" she asked.

"Well, the situation spawned from Voldemort, but it is something a bit different. Something we have no experience with," he sighed.

"How does it relate to Professor Snape?" she inquired. Remus chuckled.

"Ever thirsty for the details, aren't we?" he said grinning. She merely threw him an annoyed look, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well I have been feeling rather useless lately. Now that the horcruxes have been destroyed, I am not really needed. It is just Harry, Ron, and the order rounding up death eaters and trying to gain knowledge on how to defeat Voldemort. Ginny got so annoyed from being idle that she took off to study in America. So now I am idle and alone." She really hated to admit out loud that she had been feeling lonely, but then she remembered how much Remus suffered on a daily basis because of his "condition". She decided to try and lighten the mood. "At least Ron finally got the adventures he was seeking," she said with a smile.

"Do you miss him?" Remus asked, trying to be sympathetic. Truth be told, no one was really sure where Ron and Hermione stood at the moment.

"Well of course, but just as much as I do anyone else. To be honest, Ron and I ended our- well whatever it was- last year. We are just too different. But he is still a great friend."

"Well then I guess it all worked out then." Hermione nodded and continued to glance at the clock.

"Any idea when Professor Snape will be returning?"

"Honestly, you still refer to him as Professor? You and Minerva, and well, everyone else I can think of are on a first name basis."

"Well he and I are not very familiar," she said flatly. It was true that Ginny often teased her at school that she thought Hermione fancied him, but she always waved it off as deep respect and admiration. She never did admit it to herself. Most of her energy was spent trying to get him to see any type of goodness in her work, which he usually disregarded or belittled. Later she realized that he had really helped prepare her for her higher education. A loud bang snapped her out of her thoughts, causing both her and Remus to jump up.

"Well Remus it is as we feared, and I- what is _she_ doing here?" He said in almost a rage.

"Well Severus I had this great thought, and I think maybe she can help." Hermione, who was not prepared for this reaction, shrank away. The fire in his eyes was petrifying.

"What did you tell her?" Snape seethed.

"Nothing yet, I was waiting for you. Severus, face it, we cannot handle this situation on our own. It was either bring Hermione, or Molly, take your pick."

Snape could not bring himself to admit that Remus was absolutely right. Instead his shoulders just sagged a little, and he threw himself on the couch. Hermione was worried more by the fact Severus did not argue. This meant the situation was very bad indeed. She had never seen her professor like this before, and she never wanted to again.

"Why don't you just tell me what it is you think I can do? Most likely I will not be very much help anyway, so either way you are no worse off," she said directly to Lupin, not ready to face Snape. Lupin looked at Snape who just gave a sideways nod for him to continue.

Lupin began to tell the important details of the story, trying to leave out any parts he could that he was sure Severus did not want to relive. When he finally told her of little Olivia asleep in the bedroom, Hermione started to panic.

"But how can I help? Doesn't she have any other family?" Lupin turned to Snape.

"As a matter of fact, she does not. I went back to the house, and got all of the information I could. I Went to the Town hall, her previous town of residency, I even checked the bloody Internet. That child has no one," he said gruffly. He was tired. He had not slept in two days, and had also disregarded food. And now he had the fate of a child in his hands.

"Hermione," Lupin started. "I had a thought this morning about a temporary arrangement that could be made. Is it not true that you are looking for a place to live?"

"Yes," she replied confused.

"Then this is what I propose. Why not stay in Severus' home, and care for the child. He must be gone most nights and weekends because of - his role in the order- and I can think of no one better to take care of the little girl. She is all alone. You just said you were feeling alone and idle. I really think this could work."

"You are forgetting something very important," Snape interjected with a sneer. "She can't stay at Spinner's End, there are death eaters in and out of there all the time. Miss Granger is a target as it is."

"Severus," Lupin said quietly, " I was not referring to spinner's end. I was referring to Holly Court." He was prepared for a violent outburst, but it did not come.

"No," Severus choked out. It was a small word, but his features spoke volumes. It looked like someone had knocked the wind out of him. "Remus, I can't-"

"If you don't mind, I'll be right back," Hermione inserted as she made her way over to the bathroom. She sat against the wall, her mind reeling. At first she at been petrified at Remus' idea, but now it was sort of growing on her. Thinking of a little girl all alone in the world made her maternal instincts kick in. However, with the problem of where they would live, it seemed she would never have the chance. She could not have imagined the conversation going on in the other room as she rinsed her face with cool water to calm her nerves.

Severus was angry, full of rage and misery, but was doing his best to keep the emotions off his face. He didn't know how to deal with all the different feelings of pain at once.

"Remus, I can't go there. I can't. I haven't gone back since the accident. I won't go back," he said in a threatening voice, only to mask his fear. It was bad enough to be planning on caring for a child, but to do it in the one place that brought on so many memories- he felt he would burst from the pain, there was just no way.

"Okay Severus," Remus said in a defeated voice. "Fine, we will call the whole thing off. Tomorrow I will bring Olivia to a muggle center, and you will be done with her. You will never have to face your fears." Remus knew he struck a cord. Not only was he implying that Severus was shying away from what he felt was his duty, but also that Snape was afraid of something. When Hermione returned, a new look of determination was on his face.

"Miss Granger," he said in a businesslike tone, "What are your feelings on the matter?"

"I would like to help if I can," she replied, telling herself to keep all expression off her face. She had a correct feeling that Snape wanted her to pretend like nothing had happened.

Severus took one last moment to let it all sink in. The mention of Holly Court was enough to make him forget that it was Hermione Granger he was dealing with. True, the only reason he tormented her in school was because she was friends with Potter and the Weasley boy, and she was a very intelligent girl. However, Severus had made it a point to be around young women as sporadically as possible. He had sealed his heart long ago. Now he was about to concede to letting not only one woman into his life, but two. He had no idea how he was going to handle this, but he had to stay in control.

"Meet me back here at noon tomorrow to make final arrangements. Now, I have other business to attend to," he said regally, and left with a swish of his robes. Remus merely smiled.

"Hermione, would you like to meet Miss Olivia Taylor?"

**(A/N: I would tell you why he freaked out, but that would spoil the fun. Now that the foundation has been laid, I can get to some of the more interesting stuff. And don't worry; I will spread out the POV's between Snape and Hermione. Please Review. I do enjoy reading them, and you guys catch some of the things my untrained eye misses. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, it means a lot to me.)**


	4. Chapter 4

**(A/N: I do not own HP**. I don't even own any of the books or movies. My parents wont let me. Yay for libraries where I can hide the books under my bed. Sorry if anything is wrong, or misspelled. It is very difficult for me to check, seeing as I am working entirely from memory. Please tell me so I can fix it. **Well, on to the next chapter. Happy reading)**

Olivia had taken to Hermione like a duck to water. They had only met an hour previous, but already she was asking Hermione to paint her nails. Hermione smiled and agreed. Remus was in the process of making spaghetti as their evening meal, and could hear giggles coming from the living room.

"So I am going to live with you?" Olivia asked Hermione brightly.

"If that's ok with you," Hermione answered. She was a little perplexed at how easily the little girl was able to transition to her new setting. She decided to gently probe the child for information. While taking up her left hand to apply a dab of lavender polish, she began asking questions about her life, without trying to upset her.

"Have you lived anywhere exciting?" Hermione asked, making her eyes large. The little girl seemed to consider her answer carefully.

"Not really. I guess one time I lived with my Mummy and Daddy, but I don't remember. And then when daddy went away I went to live with Grand Mum. I don't know where my Mum was, but she came back when Grand Mum left. She told me she went to heaven, but when I asked if I could visit her she said no. Then we moved to a small house, just me and Mummy. She always had to go to work, and Mallory stayed with me until I went to bed."

Hermione listened, but inside she was sick with emotion. The little girl had been passed around like an unwanted puppy. It was no wonder she had accepted these strangers so easily. Oliva continued to tell her story.

"Mummy and Mallory were yelling the night mummy left. I knew I would get in trouble if they saw me, so I just listened. Mallory told my mummy that she would only stay with me for two more weeks. I was sad. I liked Mallory." Suddenly a large tear fell down the child's face. "I tried not to be bad. I always try not to be bad, so people will like me, but everyone always leaves me. Why don't people like me?" she asked Hermione, tearfully.

"I like you," Hermione reassured the little girl. "And I know sometimes it can be scary when lots of change happens, but sometimes it can be an adventure. I know you miss the people that you love, but there will always be people who will care about you. And right now, that is me and Professor Snape."

"I don't remember Professor Snape," Olivia admitted.

"Well you will meet him properly later. He was my school teacher a few years ago, but now I am all grown up." She said with a smile, relieved that Olivia was no longer crying.

"Will he be my teacher too?"

"Well, no. He teaches at a special school." Hermione was not sure how to go about this. She had forgotten the little girl had come from muggles. "You are still a little too young," she covered with.

"Where are we going to live?"

"At Professor Snape's house," she replied, beginning to braid the child's long brown locks.

"Is it pretty?" The little girl asked, turning to see Hermione. Hermione gently turned her face back forwards so she could finish her hair.

"Actually, I have never seen it, but we will get to see it together soon."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Snape stood frozen at the edge of the driveway. The lawn was an overgrown jungle from neglect. What was once a bright yellow house was now a grimy yellow-brown from the wear of weather and general disregard. One shingle, grey from dirt, hung at an odd angle. The driveway was a mass of cracked cement.

He slowly trudged up the path to the front door. It was locked, but a flick of the wrist allowed the door to swing open. Everything had remained the same since the last time he had been here. The house was not large by any means, but was still two levels high, with a cellar-type basement. The first floor contained a living room, Dining room, kitchen, and bathroom. Up the stairs were a second bathroom, and three bedrooms. None had been entered in almost twenty years.

He entered the living room, running his hand over the smooth wood of the piano as he walked. He closed his eyes as memories of her playing flashed before him. He could see her long fingers pressing the keys so carefully. The way she grimaced playfully when she hit a wrong note. Her beautiful smile as she tossed back her long blonde hair. _That is enough, _Snape thought bitterly, and forced the memories away.

He walked quietly up the stairs and entered the first bedroom to his right. This had been the study/ family room. A television, desk, and a half empty bookshelf were all that remained. The books that still sat on the shelves had been hers. She had loved to read almost as much as he did. He let his hand trail across the leather-bound volumes as he left the room.

The next room he entered had been the one they had shared. A queen size bed decorated in hunter green and burgundy sat in the center of the room. She had insisted on these colors. She simply could not accept that burgundy was an unacceptable color merely because of Gryffindor. She knew nothing of the rivalries between Slytherin in Gryffindor. Julia was a muggle.

Julia had been his only friend during his early years. She was the only person besides his parents that knew what Hogwarts really was. He hated having to part with her at the end of every summer and Christmas Holiday. She was the only one who ever tried to understand him.

His father hated the fact he was magical. He accused his mother of "tainting their son." When Snape had graduated Hogwarts and told his family of Julia's pregnancy and their upcoming marriage, his father was thrilled beyond belief. He was proud that his son stopped "living in that fantasy world and was taking on the responsibilities of a man". They married three weeks later.

Snape worked in an apothecary shop full time to support his family. Julia had been a big surprise to her parents in their forties, and who were in their sixties by the time she and Severus married. So when they retired, they offered the young couple their house as a wedding present. His new family life had been everything his childhood had not.

Snape was given two glorious years in this state. He had felt like his life was complete. That was until one day in May, when everything he cared for was taken from him. The day he was given the news that his wife and daughter had been in a fatal car accident.

He promptly moved back into his parents' home. His father constantly hounded him to get over his grief and start doing something with his life. Snape started going to bars in Diagon and Knockturn Alley to escape. This is where he became reacquainted with Lucius Malfoy. Lucius offered him a chance to forget. It was a chance to belong to a group who would "have his back". That was the day he joined the Death Eaters.

Severus soon realized that his new "brothers" were really monsters, but it was too late. He did not know how to get out. He went to see Dumbledore to seek advice, and was set on the path to the life he now leads.

Severus shook his head to clear his mind from the memories. He turned from their bedroom to enter the next, and final room of the house. He slowly pushed open the door, and walked into the pink and yellow bedroom of his two-year-old daughter, Rebecca. He took in everything from her tiny bed, to her toys lying scattered on the floor.

He sank to the floor and wept.

**(A/N: A peek into Severus' troubled past.** Now you know why he was not crazy about coming back here. I hope you liked this chapter. More Severus/Hermione/Olivia interaction in the next. I hope to have it up in the next day or two. **Please Review. I love hearing your thoughts, and I do take them into consideration.)**


	5. Chapter 5

**(A/N: I don't own HP.)**

Hermione had gone back to her flat that night with mixed feelings. She was sad for the girl who had never really known a proper childhood, but also excited to be doing something that would not only help the child, but offer Hermione a way to end the monotony she was experiencing.

"You look like you're in another world," her roommate commented as she gave her husband a back message. It was things like this that Hermione was glad she wouldn't have to see anymore.

"I just wanted to let you guys know that I found a place and am moving out tomorrow," she told them.

"But so soon?" Pam asked her. "We really should throw a party or something before you go.

"I wish we could, but I really don't have time. I need to be packed and rested by noon tomorrow," she replied, grabbing a bowl of cereal. She sat at the table munching on her fiber O's.

"What's with the urgency? Where are you going?"

"I took up a nanny position for an old teacher. The little girl is adorable."

"You gave up on everything to watch a little brat?" Carl asked her in disbelief.

"I am not giving anything up," Hermione shot at him. "I really want to do this. I love children, and I want to try something different. I don't really expect you to understand. Anyway, I am going to pack," she finished as she cleaned her bowl and put it away.

It really did not take her long to back. Her most numerous position was her collection of books, which she had shrunk down and put into a box in a matter of minutes. Her clothing took even less time. _Do I need any of my bedding?_ She thought to herself when she had nothing left to pack. She decided to bring it anyway. It was not the burgundy and gold you would expect. It was a delicate, jade and violet, satin comforter and pillow set. She was not ready to give it up.

That night, Hermione found it difficult to sleep. She was not the only one. At this very moment Severus was tormented with memories of the life he had made himself forget and let go of. Now, as he shrunk down the belongings of his wife and daughter to put in the attic, he was forced to relive the feelings of loss all over again.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Hermione met the next morning refreshed and ready to begin her new life. She her suitcase and boxes of books and stepped into the fireplace. In a flash she was inside Remus' living room.

"Good Morning, Hermione," Remus said in the middle of chewing his toast.

"Hello Remus, is Olivia up yet?" She inquired as she grabbed a biscuit.

"Nope. Late sleeper that one."

"Has Severus been around yet?" she asked, her tone becoming more Serious. He merely shook his head. "Remus, why was he so upset yesterday?"

"Hermione, there is a lot about Severus Snape that very few people know. He allowed Dumbledore to tell me, but it was in strict confidence. I almost wish I did not know. However, I do not suggest asking. Just let it be."

"Okay," Hermione responded, but her brain was reeling with possibilities. With the way she wanted to know _everything_, it was going to be difficult not to ask. _I guess he is entitled to some privacy_, she thought.

"Good Morning Miss Hermione," greeted a very tired Olivia.

"Good Morning. Come have some breakfast."

For the next hour the three ate, laughed, and talked about nothing in particular. At exactly twelve noon there was a knock on the door. Remus rose to open the door for Severus.

Olivia's eyes went wide when Severus entered the room. Her grip on Hermione's hand tightened when he spoke.

"Are you two ready?" He asked. His voice was not cold, just emotionless.

"Yes," they both answered in small voices.

"I've prepared the house," Severus said flatly. Truth be told, he was exhausted. It had taken him half the night to not only pack their belongings, but also mentally break away from them. He had not cried like that since before he became a death eater. Even though no one here knew he had spent the night with his head cradled in his arms, he was embarrassed, and angry with himself for being so weak.

He looked at both females and realized he was already starting with a bad impression. His intent was not to scare the child, but he was not sure how to act. It had been too long, and far too much had happened, since he had been a father. He decided just to introduce himself.

"My name is professor Snape," he said to Olivia. Hermione was surprised at the soft tone he was able to muster up.

"I'm Olivia, Professor Snape" she replied, her eyes never leaving his face. It was true he could look a bit menacing at times. But when he relaxed his face he could also look, well, approachable.

"Did you eat, Professor?" Hermione asked him timidly. At this Olivia burst out laughing.

"You called him professor too!" Apperently she thought this hilarious. "Your too old to be in school."

Both Severus and Hermione looked at eachother, not sure how to react. They just were not comfortable using each other's names.

"Well he _was_ my teacher," she said tugging on Olivia's braid.

"Oh yea!" she exclaimed, remembering her and Hermione's talk the night before. " Hermione braided my hair," she told Severus.

"Um, its very nice," he replied, not sure what else to say. This girl seemed to like making conversation, something he did not usually enjoy. He was suddenly very grateful that Hermione had agreed to help. There was no way he could handle her on his own.

Hermione, however, could not take her eyes away from Snape. She had never seen him actually trying to be nice. It was strange. He usually took great enjoyment in terrifying children. Now he was talking about hair with this one. It made her see him in a completely different light.

"Oliva, why don't you go upstairs and get your stuff. I want to talk to Professor Snape for a moment." The little girl ran up the stairs eagerly. Snape raised an eyebrow at Hermione.

"What?" he said bluntly.

_So much for him being nice_

"Professor, I was just thinking about the fact she is a muggle. Should we really be doing magic in front of her?" She could tell he had not thought about this by the look on his face.

"Merlin! You two haven't let her see you do magic have you?" he asked in a rush.

"No, I haven't, have you Remus?"

"Nope."

"Well at least you used proper judgment this time," he said curtly. He had not really meant it to sound the way it had come out. He had just been very relieved, and wanted to cover up the fact he had been worried. Remus knew what he meant, but Hermione became defensive.

"What do you mean "this time"," she said offended. "Have I ever given you a reason to doubt my judgement?"

"How about in your fifth year when you set up an illegal Defense Against the Dark Arts club, and almost got Albus arrested?" he said with a sneer.

"Oh merlin, I was fifteen years old! And that club helped save our lives at the ministry!" she said hotly.

"Where you should not have been in the first place!" he spat.

When the two looked at Remus they stopped arguing immediately. He had slowly sat on the couch with his hands folded in his lap, looking down. They had almost forgotten that his best friend had died that night. They changed the subject.

"All I am saying is, we need to do things the muggle way when she is around. The house is in a muggle neighborhood, so that wont be a problem. Anything you need to do that uses magic, do it when she goes to bed."

"Obviously," she retorted. Suddenly the sound of a someone bounding down the stairs filled their ears. "How are we getting there?" she asked him.

"I'm giving her a sleeping potion in her milk, and then we will floo," he whispered.

"My stuff wont fit," she said desperately. "Will you help me?"

"Sure, go wait for me upstairs," Hermione told her. When the girl made it to the top she gave a questioning look at Severus.

"I couldn't let her see her belongings in their shrunken form," he replied, using a tone that implied how obvious the situation was. "Tell her to forget about packing and I will shrink it back when she is asleep."

"Fine," she said annoyed. As she climbed the stairs she realized just what she had signed herself up for.

Constant torment from Severus Snape.

**(A/N: Oh, you didn't think it would be love at first sight did you? Well, buckle your seat belt. Please Review. Hopefully the next chapter will be up in a day or two.)**


	6. Chapter 6

**(A/N: I do not own HP) **

Severus and Hermione quietly entered the house on Holly Court. Snape had transformed the house from nearly condemned, to comfortably livable. After careful consideration he decided to rotate the rooms. He put his room where the study had been, so as to evoke fewer memories. He placed Hermione in the room where his daughter had once slept, because for some reason he did not want to feel like Olivia was a replacement for Rebecca. In the room he and Julia had shared, Snape had crafted a fairytale bedroom for the child. He had retrieved the images from one of the books that had belonged to his daughter, before packing it away. In it was a large armoire, shelves for her toys, and a beautiful canopy bed in peach and gold.

Severus made short work of unshrinking her belongings, and Hermione carefully laid her on the bed. The two still had approximately thirty minutes until the potion wore off. This gave them a small window of time to talk.

"Tea?" they both said at once. Hermione smiled and Snape gave a nod.

As they sat down with their cups, Snape was the first to talk.

"Hermione, I do really appreciate what you are doing." He gave her a look that said, "Don't get used to me thanking you, and don't look like you are happy that I am in debt to you".

"I feel so bad for the little thing. I don't know if I could handle being tossed around so much," Hermione stated before sipping her tea.

"Pitying the child won't help her," Snape said roughly. "Yes, she deserves a normal, better, life, but pitying her will only make her search for attention."

"Well compassion never hurt anyone," Hermione retorted. "I hope you don't plan on treating her the way you do your students. Your aren't exactly known for your gentle touch you know."

"I know perfectly well that my students are afraid of me. It's their fault I have to be that way. Those little dunderheads need to learn that carelessness will not be tolerated."

"They are not dunderheads, they are children!" Hermione practically spat. "Children make mistakes. You know, most professors believe in giving second chances. You don't even give a first, you just immediately assume all of your students are screw-ups, and don't care about learning. Well you are wrong!" She told him with fire in her eyes.

She was surprised with herself for speaking to him like this. But it was true, and very personal. She had tried everything to make him accept her, see she wanted to excel, but he never did.

Snape was also in shock. No one spoke to him this way. In his previous years with Hermione as a student, she was nothing but polite. He did not know she had this kind of passion, or temper for that matter. For some odd reason it intrigued him.

"More tea?" He asked her nonchalantly. She had not expected this reaction, and was completely disarmed of any more argument. She simply gave him a "Fine" between gritted teach.

"Miss Granger, although you and I differ greatly on how to run a classroom, I must agree with you that that is not the kind of household a child should grow up in," he replied, pouring her another cup.

"Well I am glad you see it that way."

"Now I would appreciate it if you would get your nose out of my business. I am no longer a professor, so the entire conversation was irrelevant anyway," He said, looking straight at her. Her eyes narrowed.

"Whatever you say. But I have a feeling that when it comes to the subject of dealing pleasantly with children, you have no idea what you are in for."

When he looked away she knew that she had won the argument. However, Hermione felt bad for the way she had spoke to him.

"I'm sorry Professor. I really do not wish to argue with you. I am pretty nervous myself on how to handle this. Aside from a few babysitting jobs, I do not have a lot of experience with caring for children. I want to do what's best for Olivia, and I do not think us fighting all of the time will be helpful."

"I agree. I know first hand what it feels like to be surrounded by shouting and angry adults," he admitted. Suddenly Olivia came down the stairs frantically.

"Where's buttons?" she cried to the pair on the couch.

"Buttons?" Snape questioned Hermione.

"I think she is referring to her bunny," she replied. "I think he is on the sofa, under your coat," she told the little girl.

Olivia threw her coat on the floor and hugged her stuffed rabbit. Snape quickly stood and retrieved the coat to hang in the closet. He was not used to a disorderly living space. He would need to learn what living with children in his home would be like.

"What do you want to do?" Hermione asked Olivia.

"Play hide and seek! Do you want to play too Professor Snape?" she asked excitedly. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Er, no thank you. I think I will just make lunch," he said quickly.

"Oh, okay," she said a little hurt, but when Hermione closed her eyes and started to count, the little scampered off to hide.

"What do you think she wants to eat?" He asked Hermione.

"Oh, I guess peanut butter and jelly will be okay."

"Well I only bought enough food for today and tomorrow. I don't think I have peanut butter or jelly. Will ham suffice?"

Hermione looked at him and realized that the man was extremely lost when it came to the little girl. She saw how badly he wanted to provide a home for her, but his roughness and inexperience were going to be a stumbling block. The man needed to learn to relax, and allow people to get close to him, even have a little fun. She could see this would be a major project.

"I think that will be fine, but we should consider doing a little shopping. Children require a lot."

"Um, right. Well I will exchange 200 galleons tomorrow into muggle currency. The two of you can get what you need. It will give you something to do with her."

"Will you not be around tomorrow?" She asked him, half relieved, and strangely also a little disappointed. She decided not to dwell on the feeling.

"No, it's Saturday, and I have work to do."

"Oh, okay, well I guess Olivia and I will have a fun shopping trip then."

"MISS HERMIONE, I AM STILL HIDING!" Olivia shouted.

"Oh right! I better go find her," she said, running up the stairs.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Snape knew he had to hide all emotion, and clear his mind in the Dark Lords presence, but it was difficult when Olivia's face kept trying to swim to the surface of his thoughts. He kept painfully wondering if his Rebecca would have been like her had she ever reached four years old. And Hermione Granger. Well things had definitely started off rocky. But there was something about her that he respected, maybe, dare say it, liked. He had already written the idea of being around her off as a nuisance, but perhaps he was wrong. It was still too early to tell.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The two girls threw down their bags and fell to the floor exhausted. They had been shopping for hours. First they went to the grocery store, and bought some food edible for a child. Next they went to the toy store and bought some fun games that they could play together. Then came lunch. They finished up with a trip to the mall to buy some new clothes. They had had a blast.

"What do you want to do now?" Hermione asked.

"Play candy land!" came the reply. Secretly Hermione wanted to play as well. She had not played since she was a little girl.

The rest of the day was spent in front of the tellie, and Hermione had Oliva tucked in by eight. After a quick story to Olivia, shower, and change into pajamas, Hermione got into bed. She realized that even though Olivia was in the next room, she felt very much alone. She curled around her pillow and went to sleep.

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Good morning Professor Snape," Olivia greeted him on Monday morning.

"Good morning," he said as he sat down at the kitchen table. "How was your weekend?" he inquired while reading the paper.

"It was so fun! Me and Miss Hermione went shopping. And we worked on my alphabet yesterday. She says she is going to teach me to read soon."

He smirked. What else had he expected from Hermione? At that moment she walked in wearing a pink set of cotton pajamas.

"Oh, Professor Snape, I didn't hear you come in," she said startled. They both looked uncomfortable for a moment before she headed towards the cupboard to grab a glass of orange juice.

"Olivia was just telling me of your weekend excursions."

"Oh, well we had loads of fun," she said smiling. Honestly, Hermione had had fun. The little girl was a polite, well-behaved child, with a vivid imagination.

"I am finished with my breakfast, may I go play now?" Olivia asked.

"Of course," Hermione assured her. The little girl ran out the door to the backyard.

"She really is the sweetest thing," Hermione told Snape.

"She seems to be adjusting well," was the reply. "As do you."

"Is there any progress?" Hermione asked. She had not heard from Harry or Ron in some time, and was starting to worry. She did not, however, express those concerns to Snape.

"Nothing new at the moment I am afraid." He was beginning to feel useless. Why was he still doing this if no good was coming from it?

"Professor, Miss Hermione, can we play a game?" Olivia popped in and asked.

"Let me guess, Candy land?" Hermione said laughing. The child nodded. "Professor?" Hermione inquired.

"Oh, no thank you." The child's face fell at his answer. She was beginning to feel like he didn't like her. Snape could read it in her eyes.

"Please," she said softly. He looked to Hermione for support, but none came. She was looking at him expectantly, as to say," Here is your chance to try". He finally agreed.

Ten minutes later her was seated on the floor with the most ridiculous looking bored he had ever seen. _If anyone were to walk in right now I will die of embarrassment, _he thought. Then he remembered that he was doing this for the child, and picked up a card.

Xxxxxxxx

"It was really nice of you to play the game with her today. She talked about nothing else," Hermione told him while Olivia was down for her nap.

"You and I both know I am not nice," he replied coldly.

:"Still," she replied, tilting her head to look at him, "It was very nice."

Xxxxxxxxx

Three weeks went by in the blink of an eye. The child had really opened up to Hermione, who was starting to learn her likes and dislikes, but there was still a great distance between her and Severus. It was not that he was mean to her, or avoided her. It was just that she was much closer to Hermione, so therefore they did not have the need to interact. He still watched her often. She was a little mystery.

It took some time to get used to doing things the muggle way. Hermione often had to let chores slide until Olivia was asleep so she could use magic. Luckily for both adults they had lived as muggles as children. It was Hermione that suggested their next muggle activity.

"I think we should all go to a movie," Hemione told Snape one morning. Snape was exhausted from a meeting the night previous, but could think of no better excuse to decline. He knew if he tried he would get that look from Hermione. It was the one that reminded him that he needed to try, and stop running like a coward. By the end of the muggle film he was glad he agreed to go. It was the first time he had laughed in a long time. And to his surprise, he genuinely enjoyed hearing the child laugh as well. There was something about her. Something that was making him wish he could spend time with her. He was growing fond of the child.

_Stop being sappy, Severus Snape,_ he told himself. _She is your responsibility, nothing else. _

**(A/N: can he just stop fighting it already? Is that so hard? Well I guess for Severus it is. I finally finished the main plotline for this story, so hopefully I wont take to long for my updates. Please Review- you know I love 'em.)**


	7. Chapter 7

**(A/N: I do not own Harry Potter. I do, however, own a new pair of shoes. I am quite excited about them. Happy reading.)**

Hermione soon realized how intelligent the little girl really was. Not only did she have a substantial vocabulary for her age, but was also learning to read quite quickly. It had been a little over two months since the arrangement had begun, and Olivia was sounding out new words left and right. Hermione was proud.

One evening, after Hermione and Olivia had finished reading a story about different types of occupations, Hermione asked the child what she wanted to be when she grew up.

"I want to be a nurse," the little girl said immediately. "My mummy always said she wanted to be a nurse, and it sounds fun." This surprised Hermione. Not the fact that Olivia had in interest in nursing, but that she had mentioned her mother. She rarely did.

"I think that's great," she told the child. "Nurses help make people feel better. I think you will be good at that." Olivia smiled.

"What do you do?" She asked Hermione.

"Why I take care of you silly," she said tickling her.

"Besides that," she said giggling.

"Well nothing right now."

"You should be a teacher!" Olivia said excitedly. "You would be a really good teacher. You teach me lots of things."

It was true that becoming a professor had crossed Hermione's mind, but until now she had not realized that that was what she really enjoyed doing. The only problem was, where would she teach? And when? She decided to ponder these questions later.

"I think we have time for one more story before bed, which one do you want to read?"

"Sleeping beauty!"

Hermione sighed. "Again?" The little girl nodded eagerly. Hermione prepared herself for reading the book for the fiftieth time.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Do you feel like you are cooped up here, Miss Granger?" Snape asked her one morning. He had actually gotten the idea from Remus, who implied that people did not usually enjoy sitting in the house all of the time. However, Hermione just shrugged.

"Not really, its nice to just relax and spend time with Olivia. Why?"

"Just wondering," he said nonchalantly.

"Well, we could do some things together, the three of us," she said biting her lip. She did not want to admit it, but she really did enjoy spending time with him as well. The first few weeks were full of mind games and outbursts, but they eventually got used to cooperating with each other. They had only spoke to each other about Olivia, or the order. After a while they started finding common interests to talk about. It was not a surprise to find that both enjoyed reading classic stories, as well as recent research, and listening to classical music. They were slowly developing from acquaintances to friends.

"Well what did you have in mind?" he asked her.

"We could go to the park. She really enjoys being outside. And we could just, you know, talk."

So that is what they did. It was extremely hot out, so Hermione made sure to pack extra water bottles before they left. When they arrived, Olivia made a beeline for the swing set, and the two adults settled themselves under a shady tree with the picnic basket.

"Did you put any sun block on?" Hermione asked him.

"No," he said giving her a dirty look.

"Well you better put some on, you don't want to burn."

"You don't need to talk to me like a child," he said folding his arms.

"Fine, burn then, but don't come crying to me when it hurts."

"I didn't plan on it," he seethed. She just chuckled to herself.

"You really don't like being told what to do, do you?" she said with a smile. He smirked, which was as close to a smile as she was going to get after their tiff, and looked over at Olivia.

"She seems happy, doesn't she?" He asked her.

"I think so. She mentioned her mother the other day, but she wasn't upset. I think she has moved on, and likes living here. But-" Hermione cut herself off.

"But what?" he pried.

"I think she really wants to get to know you. She has never had a father figure. I think it's really important."

"Well what do you want me to do?" He said defensively. "I am here as much as I can be."

"Sev-Professor," She corrected herself. He looked up at her when he heard her slip, but gave nothing away. "I wasn't accusing you of doing or not doing something. I was just saying I think she genuinely wants to get close to you."

"Oh," he said, feeling a little guilty at his outburst. But it was still hard for him. Didn't she realize how difficult it was to even agree to this setup? True, it was working out well. He was realizing that he liked coming home to people who actually cared that he was alive. But he still had to sacrifice too. He had given up much of his free time and privacy. Not to mention his walls of security he had built up over the years. Those layers were not easy to shed, but he was trying.

They had reached an awkward silence, but Olivia came bounding up, looking for a drink. After she had wiped her mouth, she turned to Severus.

"Will you push me on the swing?" she asked shyly. He was going to suggest Hermione doing it instead, but he stopped himself. He surprised all three of them when he nodded and stood.

_He can be gentle when he wants to be_, Hermione thought to himself. _He just needs to realize that we are not a threat. Maybe then he will let us in. _ During her reflection, she realized that her feelings for the professor were changing. She not only respected and admired the man; she cared for him. For a split second she felt her stomach dance with butterflies. Could she really be developing feelings for her ex-professor?

Severus was in another world. He had begun slightly pushing the child, afraid that anything too forceful would make her fall. Her cries of "higher, higher" caused him to change the amount of strength he was channeling, until he heard her cries of delight. He saw her wave in Hermione's direction, and he realized how strange this really was. Here he was at a children's park, with Hermione Granger, and a little girl who was not his own, and he was not looking for a chance to escape. He was actually happy.

This new feeling of happiness was foreign to him. What did he do now? Wouldn't admitting he was happy be like handing somebody a weapon, where they could take that feeling away and replace it with pain? Was he not Severus Snape, bat of the dungeons, who lived to torment others? If that was so, then why was he delighting in the sound of the child's laughter? What had caused this change? He wasn't sure, but you could bet he would be on his guard.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"Don't touch it, it hurts!" Severus growled to Hermione as she inspected his face.

"I told you to put sun block on it?" she huffed.

"_I told you to put son block on it,_" he said in a mocking voice. He refused to admit that she was right.

"Oh knock it off. Let me get some aloe," she told him as she scurried to the cabinet. She came back with a green bottle of aloe vera. "Hold still."

She squeezed out a dollop of the green liquid and began smoothing it under his eye and cheek. His face may have felt relief from the coolant, but inside his heart was racing. She was no more than six inches from his face, and he could feel her breath on his skin. He did not back away from her touch. His eyes must have been wide, for when she looked into them she was startled, and quickly backed away. They looked nervously at each other.

"Um, thank you," he breathed.

"Sure," she said quietly. "I guess I should go put Olivia down for a nap."

"I'll go with you," he told her. He could not take his eyes off of her. It was like he was seeing her for the first time. There was nothing exactly different, but it was the first time he realized she was, in fact, a woman. A woman in his house. A woman who was taking care of a child in his house. They were a strange family unit, but that's what they were nonetheless. He was not through watching her.

"Alright, Liv, lets check things off the list," Hermione suggested to the child patiently waiting in her bed. "Buttons?"

"Check," Olivia said, holding up her bunny.

"Blankie?"

"Check."

"Kiss?" Hermione asked, hissing her forehead.

"Check," she said giggling. "Can I have a kiss professor?" she asked, biting her thumb.

It took everything he could not to let his eyes bulge out of his head. "Sure," he said in a strained voice. He walked slowly over to the bed, and gave the girl an awkward kiss on the top of her head. Hermione tucked her in, and the two exited noiselessly. She smiled at him, but he did not smile back.

"I need to go now," Snape said the second they reached the floor of the stairs.

"So soon?" she asked surprised.

"I need to go," he said wildly, not looking at her. Confused by his strange behavior, she put a hand on his arm. He jumped away from her touch and spun around.

"I-I won't be here tomorrow. I have some- things I must do," he told her as he got his coat. When he saw the hurt expression on her face, he calmed slightly. "There is something I am going to tell you. Not now. The next time I come. Goodbye Hermione," He said as he quickly walked out the door.

She stood there stunned for a few moments, wondering what on earth could have made him react that way. What did he have to tell her?

**(A/N: What indeed? okay, so some feelings are starting to develop slowly. I am a person who does not believe in love at first sight, so they need to get to know stuff about each other. Its only been a few months after all. But things will progress from here, no worries. Please Review. And to my reviewers- some of you are on the right track, but I am not going to tell you what's going to happen, that would give it away. )**


	8. Chapter 8

**(A/N: I don't own HP. I hope you enjoy the chapter. It is a bit fluffier than usual. Happy reading.) **

Friday had gone by terrible slow for Hermione without Severus. Olivia did not really take notice, and went about her day as usual. By Sunday night, both of them were starting to miss him.

"Is the professor coming back tomorrow?" Olivia asked Hermione.

"I don't know," came her reply.

Both of them continued to push their dinner around on their plates in silence.

"Is he mad at me?" Olivia asked sadly. Hermione's heart wrung.

"No, Of course not! He just has to work a lot. He will be here soon," she told the child, as well as herself.

She realized how much one day's alteration of their schedule really affected them. It was true that she and Severus could argue like none other, but it was also true that this experience that was new to both of them, and they were working together to give this child a better life.

"I like him, he's really nice," Olivia told her. Hermione nearly choked on her chicken. It was definitely the first time she had heard anyone, especially a child, call Severus Snape "nice".

Two hours later she tucked the child in, and took a hot shower. She got into bed with the hope that she would see Severus in the morning.

Xxxxxxxx

Hermione heard a crash that caused her to wake in a panic. Her first instinct was to grab her robe; the second was to grab her wand. A glance at the clock read 3:15 am.

She slowly made her way down the stairs, wand aimed. The front door lay wide open. She could see the rain coming down outside in sheets through the screen. When her eyes adjusted, she was able to make out the form of a man on the floor. A quick "Lumos" and she knew it was Severus.

She rushed frantically over to him. There were no signs of blood, but his body was convulsing, a sure sign of the cruciatus curse. He was soaked, and breathing erratically.

"Professor, what happened?" she asked him, turning him around and putting his head in her lap.

"Hermione," He whispered in a strained voice. "I need you to go to the cellar. I need you to get me a potion."

"Okay," she agreed eagerly. "Which one?"

"Its in the first cabinet. It is marked in green ink "Cruciatus".

She grabbed a pillow from the couch and set it under his head before running for the cellar. With the tip of her wand she read the names of the labels until she reached the desired one. She grabbed it and ran up the stairs.

Severus tried to sip the potion, but his hands were shaking too badly. Hermione did not ask if he needed help, instead she gently took hold of his hand to help steady it. He lay still for a few moments, letting the potion take effect. When all signs of twitching stopped, Hermione asked him what happened.

"Oh, you know the dark lord. He thought it would be funny. He had the other death eaters bet on how long it would take me to scream," He said with a forced laugh. Neither of them found it very funny. Hermione looked horrified. She knew Severus and his pride. They must have been at it for a very long time. She did not ask how long.

Hermione did notice, however, that he had used her name. This was the second time he had done this. She decided now was not the time to bring that up.

"Let me help you upstairs," she told him. She mentally slapped herself. She had been avoiding using the term "help" but it had slipped out. She was waiting for the outburst that he did not need her assistance. He surprised her. He stood and leaned on her, as she circled her arms about his waist to steady him. When they reached his bedroom, he turned to look at her.

"Thank you," he told her. She nodded, and went down the stairs to clean up.

Severus quickly changed and laid on top of his bed. He stared up at the ceiling, and thoughts of Hermione began to swim in his mind. For some reason he felt guilty. Guilty that he was thinking of another woman other than Julia. But he could not stop the images from coming.

He could not remember the last time someone had touched him the way she had. It was a mediwitch's job to care for people, but her touch was different. She was so willing, and gentle, and caring. He did not know why he had decided to come here tonight. There were many times when he had to face tortures from the dark lord, and he had suffered his pain alone, just to prove to himself he could. But tonight was different. It was almost like he was testing both of them. Testing Hermione to see how she would respond, and testing himself to see if he could let someone else in. They had both passed.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Hermione woke up that morning with puffy eyes. It had taken her a very long time to fall asleep the night before. She had cried until she exhausted herself. Never before had it been so clear as to what Severus really went through for all of them. He was so strong, and no one realized the sacrifices he made. Most people had avoided him like the plague. It was true that he was often mean, and spiteful, but no one had ever tried to see past that. No one tried to find out who the real Severus Snape was. She wasn't sure how open Severus was going to be with her, but when he was ready, Hermione would be all ears.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Professor, you're here!" Olivia cried out when she saw him. She surprised him by running up and giving him a hug, which he cautiously returned.

There was something different about him today. He had stayed up most of the night thinking things over. He had to realize that no matter how much he loved his wife and daughter, they were no longer here, and no longer needed him. But this little girl did. It was difficult to finally let go of some of the grief. He knew it would never fully leave him, but it was a start. He was making room for the new feelings that were developing; for Hermione and Olivia.

"Um, I got you something," He told Olivia. Her face lit up and she jumped up and down.

"A present? Can I have it now? Please," she said excitedly. Hermione become curius and gave a him a questioning look.

"Right, well. Close your eyes," he told her, trying to recall how this was usually done. She closed her eyes tight and held out her hand. " I think you are going to need both of them." She smiled in glee and held out both arms. In her arms he placed a live bunny. When it tried to hop out of her arms she opened her eyes, which grew very large when she saw her gift.

"Oh my! Thank you so much!" she said, wanting to jump, but knowing the rabbit did not want her to. "Is it my birthday?" she asked them both. They looked at each other, realizing they had no idea when her birthday was.

"Uh, no," he said taking a good chance that it was not. "It was just because you have been so good lately," he said lamely. That sounded right. His mother sometimes got him presents when he behaved. His father just did not have an excuse to yell and hit him when he was being good. He preferred the methods of his mother.

"Why Severus, that was very sweet," Hermione told him, turning back around to finish the dishes. He stiffened at the use of his name. She pretended not to notice, but she had. She decided that it was time they dropped the formalities. Even if Severus did not share the feelings she had for him, they were still partners.

"Who's Severus?" Olivia asked, trying to catch the bunny that had escaped from her grasp.

"Me," he said with a laugh. Hermione smiled at the sound. His laughter was rare.

"Your name is _Severus_?" she asked, wrinkling her nose. "That's, uh, different," she said trying not to be rude. He smiled and nodded.

"So what are you going to name your bunny?" Hermione asked.

"Um, I don't know. What's your middle name?" She asked Snape.

"Tobias." He told her. Her nose wrinkled a second time.

"Why don't you call him Toby" Hermione suggested.

"Yeah, Toby," the little girl echoed. Leave it to Hermione to think up a solution so quickly.

Severus glanced at the clock. "Olivia, go and get your shoes, we are running late."

"Late for what?" both Olivia and Hermione asked.

"You get to play with Mr. Lupin today," he told her. "You and Toby."

"Yay!" she exclaimed, running out of the kitchen.

"This is unexpected." Hermione stated.

"I wanted us to be alone to talk today," he told her. She nodded but said nothing. He put a few drops of something in Olivia's glass.

"Olivia, come and finish your milk," he called out. Within ten minutes the child was asleep in His arms.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

" I do appreciate you keeping an eye on her for a few hours," Severus told Remus as he placed her on the couch.

"Its no problem Severus," he assured him. Hermione had remained behind to clean up, and was waiting for Severus to return. "So you are going to tell her then?" Severus nodded.

Severus had gone to see Remus almost at dawn. His excuse had been to give him his wolfsbane, but he causally slipped in his request for Remus to watch Olivia. The two men began talking, and Remus probed Severus for facts. Severus reluctantly explained what had occurred the night before. When Remus asked Severus if he had feelings for Hermione, he had only received an "I don't know", but it was enough. The fact he had not outright denied it meant something very significant.

Xxxxxxxxx

Severus returned home to find Hermione on the sofa with a book. When he saw the title he chuckled.

"Hogwarts, A History?" he questioned. She laughed and put in a marker.

"I have been so removed from the magical world these past few months, I thought it would bring back some good memories," she said with a smile.

"Hermione, there is something I want to tell you," he said soberly. Her smile fell, and she sat a little straighter in her seat.

"Is this what you said you were going to tell me the other day?" she asked quietly. He nodded.

"There is something about my past that few people know. And it is- difficult- to speak about," he started. She merely kept eye contact and nodded. He continued. " I am going to tell you this information, but I expect that you keep it in confidence, can you do that?"

"Of course," she assured him. "I feel privileged enough that you are telling me. I wouldn't break your trust," she said sincerely. He gave half a smile and continued.

"I know that you know I was once a death eater, but I am sure you do not know how that came to be." She shook her head slightly.

"I am not a pureblood," he admitted. She had already figured this out, but let him go on. "My father was a muggle. He hated magic. He felt like my mother had lied to him, and that she was some sort of freak. When my Hogwarts letter came, I thought he was going to go mad. I still don't know how my mother survived that night." He paused at the memory and sighed.

"That's horrible."

"It was. He was often like that. I hated being at home. When I was young, I made friends with a girl who lived down the street. Her name was Julia Davis. She was my only real friend. We spent all of our free time together. She was the only other person who knew I was a wizard. In the summer between my sixth and seventh year, we started dating. She was five months pregnant when I graduated from Hogwarts. We married shortly after." He knew he was telling the story rather fast, but he was afraid that he would not be able to go on if he did not move quickly.

"Wow," Hermione breathed. This was not the type of story she had been waiting for. It was hard to picture Severus her age, in love, and about to be a father. She wondered what had happened.

"Her parents were much older than the norm. As a wedding present they gave us this house, before moving to the country to retire. Your room was once by daughter's." Her eyes moved to the stairs, hardly believing it. Now came the hard part.

"I came home one day, only to learn that both my wife and daughter had been –killed in a car accident. Failed brakes, or some nonsense," His voice was starting to fail him. Hermione gasped, and her hand flew to her mouth.

"Oh Severus, I am so sorry," she told him, touching his hand. He looked down at her hand over his, but made no movement. Instead he finished his tale.

"I became extremely depressed after that. I ran into Lucius Malfoy, and soon I was inducted into the death eaters. It did not take me long to realize what a mistake that was. And I am pretty sure you know the rest." She nodded. A tear fell down her cheek.

"I just thought telling you would, well, help you understand me a bit better." He said softly as a rose from the couch. He could still feel the sensation of her hand on his skin. His intent had not been to make her cry, and he was not sure what to do.

"Thank you for telling me, Severus." She told him. "I can not imagine the pain you felt, and are probably still feeling. I just want you to know, if you ever need me, I'm here."

"I know," he told her sincerely. "I did need you, and there you were. I don't know how I could of handled Olivia by myself. I can not thank you enough."

"Severus, with what you sacrifice every day for everyone. We are all in your debt." He snorted, but said nothing. She perceived that he was done talking about the subject, and let it go.

"Should we get Olivia?" he asked.

"Its up to you, are you up to dealing with her energy?" Hermione asked. What she was really implying was whether or not it was too soon for him to face the child. She realized how difficult it must be to have her in this house, surrounded by memories of his daughter. Perhaps she would be able to help ease the pain, in time. A thought struck her.

"I think we should go get her birth certificate," Hermione announced. He looked at her confused, but then remembered the birthday conversation earlier.

"You know, that is not a bad idea. I never thought to actually take a copy," he replied.

They did not need to say it out loud, but both of them were aware of the impact the conversation had made. To his surprise, Severus felt like a weight had been lifted off of him. He looked at her and realized what she had become. She was no longer Hermione Granger, the know-it-all student he had once tormented. She was Hermione Granger, the woman, his friend, and his confidant.

He was changing also. He was no longer Severus Snape the bitter, empty shell. He was beginning to feel human again.

**(A/N: finally some fluffy stuff! Not lovey dovey, but they aren't in that stage yet. These things take time. However, when Hermione and her friends have a visit in the next chapter, Snape is not too happy. Hehehe. Please Review, they inspire the writer.)**


	9. Chapter 9

**(A/N: I don't own HP. I am really bored with that statement. I would have posted yesterday, but the site was giving me problems loging in. Anyway, this chapter is a bit longer than I had planned. I hope you enjoy it. Happy reading)**

"Finally, a weekend away from evil personified," Snape exclaimed as he sank into the sofa. Hermione was busy picking up the toys that Olivia had left behind.

"What's the occasion?" Hermione inquired.

"Some raid he planned out of the country, but I told him I was working on a delicate potion, and would not be able to attend. He gave me his sympathies," Severus said, rolling his eyes.

"I see." She smirked. "Severus, I just wanted to let you know I am visiting with some friends tomorrow."

"Who?" he asked her, brow furrowed.

"And I'm the nosey one," She said laughing. "Actually, Harry and Ron are coming in. They are meeting me at Remus'.

"And Olivia?" he asked. He was not happy. He never expected her to stop being friends with the two twits, but for some reason it bothered him to have the child around them. He realized that part of him, the selfish part, didn't want her to like Harry. He kept this to himself.

"Well I was going to take her with me. You can come if you like, or you could stay here with her. Or I can still take her, if you want to relax."

Difficult decision. He had never spent a long time alone with her before. What would they do? But it was either that, or let her spend the day with those two goons. Or worse, him spending the day with those goons.

"I am sure we will be fine for one afternoon."

"Great, well I better go tell her to come in, lunch is ready."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The night had been fantastic. The three of them had played candy land again, and Severus actually won a game. Then they had dinner in the living room, watching the movie _Sleeping Beauty, _at Olivia's request. Snape loved to see the child smile. At eight o'clock Hermione announced it was time for her to go to bed.

After much fussing over which nightgown was acceptable, Hermione finally tucked her in. When Hermione went to go pick out a story, Olivia had a request.

"Professor, can you read to me tonight?"

"Sure," he replied. This was the first time she had ever asked him to read to her, and he felt almost proud. He picked out a book, and sat on the chair beside her bed. Hermione hopped up next to the child. She listened quietly, and smiled sleepily when the book was finished.

"One more?" she asked.

"Bedtime," Hermione told her.

"Pleeease."

"How about I play you a song?" Snape asked, a little nervously. Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of song?" the little girl asked.

"Hold on, I'll be right back." When he came back from the cellar, he produced a shiny violin.

"Oooh, pretty," Was her reaction.

He had not played in a very long time. He just hoped he would not embarrass himself. He began to play a low, slow song. After a few minutes the little girls eyes were drooping. When he was sure she was asleep, he stopped playing, and motioned Hermione to follow him.

"That was amazing Severus, I didn't know you played," she told him breathlessly. There was much more to this man than met the eye.

"We all have our hidden talents," was his reply. "What are you going to do now?"

"Read a little downstairs."

"Do you mind if I join you?" He wondered. He did not wish to intrude upon her.

"Not at all," she said with a smile. They spent the rest of the night reading and talking, both interrupting each other with their points of view. It was past midnight when they finally walked up the stairs and said goodnight. As each one entered their room, they lingered at the door for just a moment before shaking themselves alert. It had been a very good night.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"Okay, lunch is in the fridge. She usually goes down for a nap around two, and will sleep about forty-five minutes. If you have any problems, you can floo over any time," she finished, running around like a mad woman.

"Hermione, we will be fine. Calm down," he told her. Honestly. If he could handle being with a school full of dunderheads, couldn't he handle one afternoon with a little girl?

Xxxxxxxx

"It is so good to see you," Hermione told the boys when she entered Remus' home.

"Hermione, you look great, what have you been up to?" Harry asked. She was not sure exactly how much she should tell him.

"Well I took a break and am nannying for a little girl. She is so precious." The two gave her a strange look.

"Nannying? You aren't working on some top-secret spell, or some impossible potion? I'm surprised," Ron told her.

"Well it is actually quite enjoyable. I am thinking of looking into teaching later. It is so rewarding."

The boys exchanged a look of "yeah, whatever" but dropped the subject.

"So how is the mission?"

"Going steady. Death eaters being rounded up left and right. We are this much closer to getting him," Ron told her, putting two fingers together. Harry looked doubtful.

"Have you talked to Ginny lately?" Hermione asked. Both Boys shook their heads, and Harry appeared saddened. "Oh, I guess I haven't either. I hope she is doing well," she added.

After two hours of conversation, Hermione was growing more and more uncomfortable. She realized that she really had little in common with Harry and Ron, aside from their stand against Voldemort. All they really could seem to talk about were the old times. She missed the intellectual conversations she could be having with Severus. But these were her friends, and she did not get to see them very often.

"Hey, remember that time you messed up the polyjuice potion and turned yourself into a bloody cat? That was priceless," Ron said, cracking up. Harry joined in, and Hermione just smiled. Honestly, it was not that funny. You make one mistake and they never let you live it down.

"Not quite as funny as when Moody turned Malfoy into a ferret," Hermione offered, trying to get into the spirit. The three laughed at the memory.

"Yea, Snape's golden boy was finally given what he deserved. That man was such a git, he let Draco get away with everything," Ron said, stuffing a chocolate frog into his mouth. Hermione set her teeth on edge.

"He only had to do that to keep up appearances you know," she retorted. "I'm sure he would have been different under different circumstances." They boys looked at her like she had grown another head.

"You aren't defending him, are you?" Harry asked.

"As a matter of fact, I am."

"How can you do that, after all he put us through?" Ron demanded.

"We were some of the worst trouble makers of the lot! When I think back on all the school rules I broke, it's a wonder I didn't get chucked out."

"We were saving the world from Voldemort!" Harry argued.

"Still. I am not saying that he had a reason to dislike you merely because of the differences of your father. But besides the fact we proved to be trouble, Harry, could you honestly say if you taught Draco's son in school, you would be one hundred percent unbiased?"

Harry looked down. "No, you have a point."

"He's still a git though," Ron mumbled.

Remus sat quietly watching the exchange. He wanted to interfere and defend Severus, but this was just too entertaining. He did, however, notice just how quickly Hermione jumped in to defend him. Maybe there was more than meets the eye to the relationship of Hermione Granger and Severus Snape. Speaking of which.

"What the hell!" Ron exclaimed, as Severus walked out of the fireplace.

"Afternoon, Potter, Weasely," Severus announced airily to the room as he brushed off his shoulder. "Hermione, I know you're busy," He said sneering in the direction of her companions," but I need your assistance with something and this was the only time I could get away."

"Is everything okay? Is Olivia okay?" Hermione asked, concerned.

"Well that's just it. She kept complaining that her legs itched, and there is some sort of rash all over them. I just got her to sit still enough to fall asleep, but I was hoping you would have an idea of what this was."

"Exactly what the hell is going on here?" Harry cut in. Hermione realized how very strange this conversation might be to her friends.

"Oh, right. Well remember when I said I was nannying?"

"Yeah. I don't believe I remember ever hearing Snape's name in that subject."

"Well, to make a long story short, we are taking care of an orphan and I am living in Severus' house," she said quickly. What she really wanted to do was get to Olivia as soon as possible.

"Oh is that all?" Ron spat. "How could you not tell us something like this? I thought we were "best friends". Now I hear your shacking up with him?" he said, nudging his head towards Severus.

"Excuse me, but I am not "shacking up" with anyone. And even if I was, it isn't really any of your business. Just as it is also not your decision with whom I would be doing the shacking," Hermione said, fuming.

"Please," Lupin said, raising a hand up. "Can we stop this nonsense? We are all on the same side here. Hermione and Severus are doing something very honorable. They have put aside their difference in order to help give a small child a better, stable life. Can you two really be mad about that? If you say yes, then I wonder what it is exactly, that you are fighting for."

"I hate it when you do that," Harry replied, smiling. "Can you just ever look at the irrational side?" He turned to Hermione," I'm sorry I jumped down your throat. If you are happy, then that's all that matters." He eyed Snape distrustfully, but kept quiet. Ron seemed to be okay with it as long as Harry was, as he usually imitated the behavior of his best friend.

"You guys, that really means a lot to me. I really wish I could stay, but I need to go see whats wrong. Maybe Remus can fill you in on some of the other details. It was really great seeing you."

Severus was wearing a smug expression. He had gotten exactly what he wanted. It was unfortunate that it came at the price of Olivia's discomfort, but he had won nonetheless. His smugness disappeared the second Hermione's arms encircled Harry's when she said goodbye. He was feeling something else entirely. He was extremely jealous. He was surprised at himself.

_So what? So she gave him a hug. Friends do that. Oh great, now she is giving that redheaded moron one too. Why do I care? Its not like I'm attracted to her-_ but Snape realized that was exactly it. He didn't want anyone else touching her. He wanted her for himself. The question was, now what did he do?

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"But it itches," Olivia complained.

"I know princess, but you just can't scratch it. It will make it worse," Hermione told her gently.

"What is wrong with her?" Severus asked, worried.

"I think I have an idea. Where did you two go today?"

"Well, we went to the park. She played in the sandbox for a while. Then we went to the woods behind the park to explore."

"That was fun," Olivia said smiling, momentarily forgetting about her ailment.

"Well that is the reason you are itchy. You have poison ivy," Hermione told her. Snape could have slapped himself for not recognizing it sooner. He had been too busy worrying about what Hermione and Potter were doing.

"Poison Ivy? Am I going to die?" Olivia asked frantically.

"No!" Hermione laughed. "It just means we need to put some medicine on your legs."

"What kind of medicine?" Snape asked her.

"Chamomile lotion. Would you mind picking some up?" She asked him.

"I'll be right back," he told her, running out the door.

"Its Itchy!" Olivia whined, trying to scratch her leg, but Hermione blocked her. Olivia started crying hysterically. "I don't want to be sick. I don't want to take medicine. It hurts! Its itchy!" Suddenly the most extraordinary thing happened. The entire top row of book came flying off the bookshelf. Both sets of eyes grew wide at the display.

"Olivia, what-"

"I'M SORRY!" the little girl screamed in terror. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. I wont be bad anymore," she said sobbing. "Please don't make me go away, or leave me. I wont do it again."

Hermione tried to comfort the hysterical girl. She was astonished. How on earth could this be? They had missed something, she was sure of it. Now Hermione realized what the girl had meant when she had said she did bad things. If her guess was correct, soon it would be time to tell her these weren't bad things; they were magical.

"Olivia, it was an accident. No one is going anywhere," Hermione told the girl, pulling her into her lap.

"Really?" the girl sniffed.

"I promise. But you need to sit still until your leg is better, okay?"

"Okay," she sniffed, calming down a little.

Severus returned quickly, lotion in hand. After he gently applied it to the girl's legs, he gave her buttons and told her to try and sleep. Hermione had already slipped into the hallway and stood waiting for him. When he joined her, she gave him a serious look.

"We need to talk."

**(A/N: Finally! So a lot of you guessed that this was coming, but you will not find out how she got her powers until later Oh yeah, and Sevvie got a bit jealous. Just jealous enough to make him realize how he felt about Hermione. I wonder if those feelings will deepen, and if Hermione will share them. Hmmm, a mystery indeed. Anyway, Please Review, your thoughts are very valuable to me.)**


	10. Chapter 10

**(A/N: I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of my reviewers. It is really great of you to take the time and share your thoughts. Reading them is my favorite part of the day. I also wanted to clear a few things up.**

**First of all, Hermione did not loose her powers. I tried to figure out where that assumption could have been made, but I could not find it, so please point it out to me and I will fix it.**

**Second of all, Hermione is definitely still a know-it-all. I may be having some trouble expressing it, so I will try to add more know-it-all-ness to future chapters to keep her IC. (Also, lets just assume Hermione is so smart that she already knew it was poison ivy, but just wanted to confirm her facts).**

**Thirdly, Harry still hates Snape to the core. However, he will tolerate him because he realizes that that is what Dumbledore would have wanted, and he is genuinely interested in Hermione's Happiness.**

**Lastly, Hermione does check the wards, and Severus knows how to take them down. But I think hearing noises in the middle of the night would freak anyone out.**

**Thank you for your concerns excessivelyperky, I hope that I gave you satisfactory answers. I'm glad you brought this up because I may have confused other people who did not review.**

**So lets get back to the story, because this author's note is obnoxiously long).**

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hermone ushered Snape into her room and put up a silencing charm.

"What's wrong?" Snape asked her. Hermoine sat down on her bed, staring straight ahead.

"Olivia is not a muggle," she said in a daze.

"What?" Snape exclaimed, shocked. "How do you know?"

"She went into a fit, and a whole load of books went crashing to the floor. They didn't push themselves off, that's for sure. She started crying and told me she didn't mean to do it. That she didn't try to do bad things. Now, I finally understand what she was talking about. The poor girl, she must be so scared when things like that happen, and she is trying to hide it so people don't think she is a bad child. How could she possibly understand?"

Snape joined Hermione on the bed. Both were lost in thought.

"Do you think she is muggle born?" Snape asked her.

"I don't know, you were the one who checked up on her family. You tell me," Hermione said meanly.

"Look, you don't have to get snippy. Her mother was definitely a muggle. And her father was in the muggle armed forces. I saw loads of information on him, down to his high school transcripts. What would you assume?" He spat.

"Well I suppose I would have conducted more thorough research; looked at all the possibilities," she replied.

"Look, I don't need this. What difference does it make? She's a witch. I mean really, what is there to understand? _You _were born from muggles. Why is it so hard to just leave it at that?"

"Aside from the obviousness that she could have magical relatives that we don't know about, what about just for the sake of knowing? Do you honestly think that she won't have questions about this some day? I, for one, would like to know the answers."

"Like that's something new," he said rolling his eyes, but he knew she was probably right. Why had it never occurred to him to check? What if she did have relatives out there? How could he possibly give her up? He wouldn't. He didn't want to know.

Hermione could see his thoughts written on his face.

"Severus," she put her hand on his," We need to know the truth. _She_ needs to know the truth."

Severus stared down at their hands. Hermione noticed, and nervously took hers away, setting it next to his. He stared at the space between, tempted to move his finger three inches to the left. He could not handle this. He finally took a chance and let people get close to him. What if she did have some aunt or uncle out there, just waiting to take her in? He couldn't bare it. And if Olivia were gone, Hermione would have no reason to stay. Why did Hermione want to find out so badly, if it meant possibly separating the three of them? He was upset, but if this was what she wanted, then he would try to find out the information.

"What are we going to tell her?" Snape asked quietly.

"I'm not sure. Let's just wait until we have all the facts. She was scared enough as it was."

"I think you're right. If this is what you want, then we will find out."

Hermione stared at nothing in particular, deep in thought. Part of her, the logical part, was arguing that it was the right thing to do. No information should be left hidden; it may cause problems later. The other part was telling her exactly what the consequences would be. Could she really let this precious child walk out of her life? She adored her. Hermione had never been happier than she was right now.

And what would this do to her and Severus. She did not want to picture him walking out of her life. They may argue, but it was because they were just too alike. They were stubborn, but they were good for each other. Would she ever find someone who could fill that place? The more she thought about life without him, the more she realized just how deep her feelings were. She was positive he would freak out if he knew. They may be friends, but she was sure he would not want to be anything more than that.

"What are your thoughts? Severus inquired, shaking her awake.

"Oh, um nothing," she said to the floor.

"Come now. It is never "nothing" with you, tell me," he urged.

"Severus, if we do have to –let her go- will we still be, you know, friends?" she asked in a timid voice. He breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps there was hope after all. With a strengthening of courage, he took her cheek and gently forced her to look at him.

"Hermione, I consider you one of the few real friends I have ever had. I can't think of a single reason why I would ever want to give that up," he said in a gentle voice. She smiled at him.

They may never be more than that, but at least she knew that she would always have his friendship.

Xxxxxxxxx

Two weeks went by, and no information had been found. Hermione and Severus were making inquires about the name "Taylor" to every circle they could think of, or in Severus' case, approach, but nothing turned up. They were trying to spend as much time together as possible, fearing any day could be their last. Olivia, who knew nothing of the matter, was thrilled by the attention and activities.

Hermione was torn. She wanted so badly to discover the information she was seeking, but she was also relieved. Each day of no progress meant one more day with the child she loved.

Snape was less torn. He did not even want to find out.

Xxxxxxxx

A few days later, Snape and Hermione were sitting on the sofa while Olivia played outside. Each was going through a stack of genealogy papers. Hermione began to stretch like a cat, and Snape stared at her. She smiled and gave him a look like "what?" and he looked away. How could he possibly tell her what he was thinking? He was sure the thought of being romantic with him would disturb her. They may be friends, but lets face it. He was almost twenty years older than her, an ex death eater, her previous professor, and not much to look at. If only he knew what she really thought.

Hermine was doing her best to keep her feelings hidden. He may appreciate her. He may think she is smart- some of the time. He may even put his trust in her- but love, even like her? Not likely. But there was no turning back. She had fallen for him, and there was nothing she could do about it now, but he didn't need to know that.

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Lets do something fun today," Olivia told the group at breakfast.

"Like what?" Severus asked, pouring her some milk. He quickly got up to retrieve the chocolate powder to stir into her glass. He was getting to know her more and more everyday, and loving every second of it. He smiled at her milk mustache. These feelings were more difficult to hide from the dark lord than anything else. The dark lord's hatred of love was strong, and anyone who possessed the feeling sickened him. Thank goodness Severus was the best Occlumens around.

"Let's go to the mall," she exclaimed. Severus looked doubtful. He tried to stay out of places heavily crowded. The may be in a muggle area, but you never knew. Hermione was thinking along the same lines.

"Oh," Hermione said in a false sadness. "I was really hoping we could play dress up." Snape gave her a cold stare. He remembered the last time they played dress up. Olivia had tried to make him a princess. He was not having it. He promptly took of the tiara and placed in on Hermione's head. He was afraid this time she would try to make him a faerie, or some other silly character.

"Yeah! I want to play dress up!"

_Oh Merlin,_ Snape thought. _Hermione, you are going to pay for this!_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Severus was pacing around his room at spinner's end. He was driving himself crazy with thoughts of Hermione. He could picture the way that one strand of hair fell into her eyes until she's swat at it, clearly annoyed. How disheveled she looked when she came down to the kitchen each morning. Especially how her and Olivia giggled together when they were up to something. Her brown eyes seemed to see into his soul. He was obsessed.

He thought about the way they interacted, mentally and physically. She was such a challenge sometimes. He pretended to be annoyed, but he loved to see the fire in her eyes. But when they made physical contact, it would start out natural, and then she would seem to grow nervous and break away. Why was she so nervous?

He knew why he was.

She, a smart, beautiful, caring person, could have anyone she wanted. What did he really have to offer her? Okay, besides the mass fortune he had inherited ten years back from his Grandfather prince, but money could not buy love. A sappy cliché, but it was true.

And that sweet angel, Olivia. _His_ Olivia. Okay, she was just as much Hermione's as his, but he lived for that child. The circumstances that brought them together were deplorable, but he will never regret taking that child into his home. He hated having to leave her each night, and Friday was the worst of all. He spent all weekend thinking about what would make her happy. Well, her and Hermione. Why couldn't they just become a nice, normal family? Because the fates were cruel, and he still had many sins to atone for. But how much longer was he to suffer?

Little did he know what earth shattering changes lay in store for him the very next evening.

**(A/N: HAHA, cliffie!!! Okay, at least they stopped denying the feelings to themselves. I don't think there are too many chapters left. Probably around five, give or take. I don't know. But I hope you enjoyed. And I hope they are more in character. Well, there is not much hope of keeping Sev 100 percent in character. I mean, he's in love for crying out loud. But if you aren't Hermione or Olivia, he's still a snarky mean-head. Okay, enough of my blabbing. Sorry about my author's notes being so long. Please review. It makes me so happy.)**


	11. Chapter 11

**(A/N: I don't own HP. This chapter is a little bit shorter than usual, but I put everything I wanted into it. Next chapter will be longer. As always, enjoy, and Happy Reading!)**

_He is starting to look much healthier_, Hermione thought to herself while she stole glances at Severus. It was true. He had lost that pale, sallow look. His face was fuller, he was a little tanner from spending so much time outside with Olivia, and a smile in place of a smirk did wonders for him.

"I think I am going to go to the salon today," Hermione told Snape as she buttered her toast.

"You're cutting your hair?" he inquired. He really hoped not. He loved her hair long. True, it could frizz up at the slightest sign of moisture, but he could not imagine her with short locks.

"I don't know, you don't think I should?" She hoped her search for his approval was not obvious. For some reason, she felt like fixing herself up a little more when he was around. Like today, for instance, she had put on skirt and even a touch of make-up. Snape had noticed how feminine, not to mention delicious, she looked. But back to the question of her hair.

He wanted to be honest and tell her no, but he didn't feel it was his place to have an opinion. "If you really want to," he said, but in a tone that implied otherwise.

"Well, I will just go and see if I can find something I like in one of the books. Do you mind taking care of Olivia for a few hours?"

"No, we'll be fine." Then he chuckled, "And we'll stay out of poison ivy."

"Thank you," she laughed.

Xxxxxxxxx

"I think its time to learn a new game," Snape told Olivia after the fourth game of candy land.

"Like what?" she asked, carefully putting the pieces back into the box. She had learned that when she was Severus, she had best pick up after herself. He was never mean to the child, but he was firm with his rules. He believed it was important for the child to learn some self-discipline. His parenting techniques were steadily developing.

"Do you know how to play checkers?" She shook her head. "Okay, I will teach you. It is a relatively simple game. After you master that I will teach you Wiz- I mean chess. That one is a bit more difficult," he told her. He had almost slipped up!

The child was a quick learner. After he beat her the first game, he realized that perhaps winning against a child was not the most important thing, so he let her win a game. By the fourth game she was really getting the hang of it.

"Did you hear that?" Olivia asked. "I think Miss Hermione is home."

"Hermione?" Snape called out. He was sure it was, given that you had to be Merlin himself to break through his wards.

"Yeah?" she called out nervously.

"Come and play checkers with us," Olivia called out. When Hermione stepped into the living room the little girl gave a squeal of delight. "Oooh, you look so pretty!"

Snape could only stare. Well it wasn't shorter, that's for sure. Hermione had gone through a transformation. Instead of the frizzy mass of curls, she had long, sleek spiral curls. She had colored her hair a few shades darker, and it looked amazing with her eyes. He gaped at her like a fish.

"You don't like it?" she asked him, disappointed. He continued to take her in with his eyes.

"You're beautiful," he whispered. He had not meant to say it out loud, but there it was. She turned bright red, and smiled.

"Well I just wanted a bit of a change," she replied, feeling more confident. Snape's eyes never left her face. She bit her lip, and something definitely passed between them.

"Can you make my hair pretty too?" Olivia asked, breaking the moment. Hermione laughed.

"You're hair is pretty! Look, now we match," she told her, referring to the hair color. "Why don't I braid your hair while you play?"

"Okay!"

Snape continued his silent thoughts. _She is absolutely stunning. She is beautiful, smart, caring. And I am absolutely in love with her._ He shocked himself with his admission. _It's true. I am in love with Hermione Granger. _

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Snape spent the afternoon very preoccupied, but when it came time to go to Voldemort's side, he stored every thought and feeling into the back of his mind. He could sense something was going to happen, he just could not put his finger on it.

"WHERE IS EVANDALE?" Voldemort shouted. Well, more like hissed.

John Evandale had been given the special assignment to spy from inside the ministry. He was working as a "custodian" there, much to his dislike, to gain entrance into off limit areas, and overhear as much information as possible. The meeting had started over an hour ago, and he was still missing. Fifteen minutes later he finally arrived, but there was something strange about him. His eyes looked glazed over. He didn't even flinch when the dark lord approached him, venomous.

"WHEN I SUMMON YOU, I EXPTECT YOU HERE IMMEDIATELY!" he roared.

Evandale nodded and said spoke in a strange voice. "Forgive me lord, I was detained."

"_That_ is your excuse?" Voldemort seethed. "Perhaps you do not comprehend the extent of my displeasure. Perhaps a lesson needs to be learned." He raised is wand, but before he could strike, a spark of light flew at the crowd and a death eater fell to the floor.

"IT'S AN AMBUSH!" Someone cried. The death eaters turned to run.

"Stand your ground!" Voldemort ordered, as an army of Aurors and other trained volunteers came at the band of death eaters. Snape realized why he had been acting so strange; he was under the Imperius curse. Severus had warned the order he was a spy. Someone, most likely Moody, had captured him, put him under the curse, and ordered him to take them to the meeting and take down the wards. It was brilliant, but also very dangerous. He just hoped Harry Potter was prepared for this.

Curses were being thrown left and right, narrowly missing Severus. The order knew not to attack him, but it was hard to keep track of who he was when he was wearing the same robes as everyone else. Severus made his was to the back and was picking off stray death eaters. He did not want to reveal he was a spy until absolutely necessary.

Voldemort was in the center of a ring of death eaters set on protecting him. If they had not and he had survived, they would have been dead anyway.

"Kill the muggle-lovers, but Potter is mine!" Voldemort shouted.

"I'm right here Tom!" Harry bellowed. Voldemort's eyes narrowed at the use of his name. The battle continued on, but a path was made between Harry and Voldemort. Snape cautiously made is way over to them.

"I'm going to dice you to pieces, boy!" Voldemort threatened.

"Its over, Tom Riddle," he said in a low voice.

"Stop calling me that!" Voldemort Shrieked. "Did your precious Dumbledore teach you that? Did you want to be just like your favorite professor? Well don't worry, you will. You will end up just like him. DEAD! Slow and painfully. By the time I am done with you, you will be begging me to kill you," he said in an insane rant.

The mention of Dumbledore put both Harry and Snape in a rage. Harry charged at him, wand out. Voldemort just smiled and waited, when he thought he had him right where he wanted he screamed "sectumsempra" and shot the curse in Harry's direction. He thought Snape would enjoy seeing his curse used on Harry. What he did not expect was for Severus to jump in front of him and take the curse. He felt a hot sting across his abdomen, and the warm sensation of blood. He fell to the floor, and the world faded to darkness.

**(A/N: Oh's no's! And his own curse too! What's gonna happen next? Well that is for me to know, and you to find out next chapter. It should only be a day or two before I post again, so worry not. Please Review. They help gage how much you are into the story. If I know you are interested, I try to update faster so you aren't left waiting. You guys are so great!")**


	12. Chapter 12

**(A/N: I don't own HP)**

Hermione was telling herself not to panic. Just because it was almost noon with no sign of Severus, did not mean something was wrong, did it? She was pacing back and fourth while Olivia colored at the table. Hermione was impatiently waiting for the clock to turn twelve. Last night had been the full moon, and she was afraid she would wake Remus if she called before twelve. Only ten more minutes to go before she could ask him if he knew anything.

"Can I go play outside?" Olivia asked her. Hermione nodded, relieved. She was hoping for an excuse to get Olivia out of the house. She hated having to slip her a potion to knock her out, just to use the floo. Soon, after she could finally her down for a talk, Hermione would be able to use magic again. With only three minutes to go, Hermione grew impatient, and decided just to go ahead. Hoping Remus was decent, she entered his living room. She was surprised to see Harry sitting at the table with their previous professor.

"Hermione," They both exclaimed at once. Remus quickly grabbed something off the table and threw it under a stack of papers. Harry looked a little haggard. His hair was completely disheveled, more than usual, he had tears in his clothing, and cuts across his arms and cheek.

"I'm sorry to just barge in, but Severus never came in this morning and I just got a bit worried. I was hoping he had talked to you," she explained to Remus. "Harry, what on earth happened to you? Are you okay?" The two men looked at each other.

"Harry, I think you should tell her what happened. It's better coming from you, because she will find out anyway," Remus said in a grave voice. Harry nodded in agreement.

"Hermione, I think you should have a seat," Harry told her. She nervously sat down and looked up at him with wide, worried eyes. Harry cleared his throat.

"Something did happen last night. There was a battle. _The_ battle, actually," Harry corrected.

"Oh my Gosh!" Hermione cried out. "And you're here! You're safe! Does that mean-"

"Yes. Voldemort has been finished," He told her. She could tell something was really wrong. He should be thrilled, celebrating, and definitely not wearing this troubled expression.

"Well tell me what happened!" she demanded. Harry quickly told her the events of the night, right up until the final face off of him and Voldemort. He wanted to put this in a gentle way.

"When it finally came to the point where it was me or him, there was a slight complication," Harry started slowly. "I almost didn't think I could find a way, but Severus helped create a distraction big enough that would allow me the window of opportunity I needed to throw the final curse. Voldemort had been caught extremely off guard when he realized Severus was on our side. I know it is because of him that I am alive, and the war has come to an end." He said in a proud voice.

"But Harry, Where is Severus?" Hermione asked, fearing the worst.

"Well this is the hard part," He said gulping.

"Oh Merlin, He's dead isn't he?" Hermione cried. Tears began pouring down her face.

"No, Hermione, he isn't," Harry told her quickly, but did not want to give her too much hope. "But he is severely injured."

"What happened to him?" Hermione asked horrified.

"The way he distracted Voldemort- that is- the way he saved me and everyone else," He choked. "Voldemort fired "sectumsempra" at me, and, well, Snape stepped in and took it. Voldemort was so surprised that while he stood and gaped at Snape's body, I gathered every bit of hatred I had for him and fired the killing curse. I think he really, truly believed that Snape would never turn on him. I owe him my life."

"Where is he?" She sobbed. This couldn't be happening. Everything was just starting to come together and now her world was shattered around her. What if he didn't make it?

"He is at St. Mungo's. The order has already cleared his name with the ministry. They took Dumbledore's proof and a bunch of the order's memories before they finally realized he was, in fact, a hero. When he recovers he will be given an order of Merlin third class."

"Third class," Hermione snorted. "It should be first class."

"Yes, but the ministry was having a hard time giving an ex-death eater an order of Merlin at all," Remus said sadly. "They have too much pride, and they didn't want to draw too much attention."

"How bad does it look?" Hermione sniffed.

"Well he lost a ton of blood. We got him there as quick as we could. The Mediwitches gave him blood replenishing potions all night. There will be major scaring when he heals. But as of right now, he is comatose," Harry told her as gently as possible. "Hermione, I want you to know, I stayed with him through the night just in case he were to wake up. I wanted to be the first person to thank and congratulate him."

"Harry, that was wonderful of you," Hermione told him, clearly touched. She looked over at Remus. "What exactly was that thing you shoved under there," she asked, pointing to the stack.

"Oh, just the _Daily Prophet._ We didn't want to let you see it before we told you." Remus told her. Hermione nodded, in a daze. She really just wanted to go to St. Mungo's. It was a shame she couldn't bring Olivia to see him.

"OH MY GOSH!" Hermione exclaimed. She had completely forgotten about Olivia.

"I have to get back, she has no idea I left. Will you guys floo over?" Hermione asked frantically, stepping into the fireplace. They nodded and moved towards the fireplace.

"118 Holly Court," She shouted.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Olivia was just entering the living room when Hermione had stepped out of the fireplace. Olivia looked at her like she was mad.

"Miss Hermione, why were you in there?" she asked confused. Hermione had to think fast. The two men could arrive at any second.

"I think I heard something on the roof. Lets go look really quick," she cried, grabbing the child's hand and running out the door. She made a show of looking up at the roof, and all around the house before walking back inside. Harry and Remus were sitting on the couch.

"Professor Lupin, and- person I don't know," she said peering at harry. "How did you get here so fast?"

"Backdoor," Lupin said as he munched on some peanuts.

"Maybe you just heard them outside," she said to Hermione.

"Probably." Hermione turned to Harry and Lupin. "It's Olivia's naptime, so I am just going to go tuck her in." To be honest, it was a little early, but Hermione needed to hear the results.

After ten minutes, and many protests that she was not tired, Hermione finally got Olivia to fall asleep. She walked back down the stairs to find out the rest of the details.

Only two unknown death eaters had suffered fatalities. There were some serious injuries including a severed arm to Alastor Moody, and severe burns to George Weasley. There were many more minor injuries, such as broken bones to Tonks and Arthur. Severus was by far the worst. Once Voldemort was dead, the death eaters began to flee. Most were rounded up. Aurors were perusing the rest.

"When can I see Severus," was all Hermione said after Harry finished the tale. The men exchanged knowing looks.

"If you want to go now, Harry and I can look after Olivia."

"Thank you," Hermione said jumping up. She dashed up the stairs and got her coat and purse. "Now remember, no magic yet. Severus and I plan to talk to her about it soon."

Remus listened to the way she talked about Severus, Olivia, and herself as if they were a family. He had a feeling something like this would happen. He just hoped Hermione could pull Severus through.

"Hermione," Remus called out. She turned around, impatiently. He smiled. "You're in love with him, aren't you?"

Hermione glanced at Harry nervously. Harry just gave her a sad smile and nodded his approval.

"You have no idea," she said seriously as she ran out the door.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Severus could not move. All he could see was blackness, and his body felt like lead. _What is going on? What happened? Where am I?_ There was no answer to his questions. He felt like he was in a dream world. He heard a strange, muffled sound. Like someone was calling him. "Please wake up. Please," they said. He tried to move, talk, anything, but he just couldn't. The blackness swirled into a series of hallucinations, and he could no longer separate dream from reality. Every image contained Hermione. He needed to get back to her.

Little did he know she was sitting only a foot away from him, holding his hand, crying silently. "I need you Severus. Olivia needs you too. You need to wake up. The rest of you is healed. It's up to you now, and you are the strongest person I know. All you need to do is open your eyes."

His dreams were becoming more and more distressful. He was in a hole. He kept seeing Hermione, reaching up to her. He would get so close, but he could never grab her outstretched hand. He knew that was all he needed to do and everything would be okay. If he could only get a little closer. "Severus, I love you," the image told him. _I love you too, Hermione. _

"I love you Severus," Hermione told him through sobs. "Just wake up so I can tell you. It doesn't matter if you don't feel the same way, but I can not go through life knowing I never got the chance to tell you. Please, please wake up."

He was almost there, the tips of her fingers were brushing against his. "I love you, Severus Snape," the image told him again. With one last will of strength he grabbed the outstretched hand tightly.

"I love you, 'Mione," he moaned as he shook his head back and fourth, coming to.

"What?" she exclaimed as she lunged closer to him. He opened eyes and tried to blink them into focus. Sweat was forming on his brow, and he was exhausted from the fight within his own body and mind. "What did you say?" Hermione asked again, breathless. He turned towards her, too weak to even raise his hand up.

"I love you, Hermione Granger," He said looking deep into her eyes. Tears immediately began forming in her own.

"And I love you," she replied, bursting with emotion. She wanted to laugh, cry, and scold him for scaring her, all at once. Instead she took his hand in one hand, and his cheek in the other. She leaned over him, and gently claimed his lips with her own.

The kiss was unimaginable. It was so gentle, yet so full of passion, that after they broke apart they could only stare at one another in silent amazement. They knew at that moment they were meant to spend their lives together. She kissed him once more, and told him to rest. He closed his eyes and drifted into a peaceful sleep for the first time in nearly twenty years.

Hermione made sure he was asleep before she found a Mediwitch and told her of Severus' coming to. After checking him over thoroughly, it was decided he could go home in two or three days time. He would be left with a scar that ran from his hip, diagonally to his chest. He was just happy to be alive, and to finally be able to express his feelings for the woman he intended on spending the rest of his life with. He wasn't sure if she already knew his intentions, but if not, she would know soon enough. He wasn't about to let her go.

**(A/N: Oh its still not over yet. Yes, they finally shared their feelings, but there is still a little girl at home who has no idea what is going on. Now it is time to focus a bit on Olivia. I hope you liked this chapter. I am a bit nervous about it. Please Review and tell me what you thought about it. )**


	13. Chapter 13

**(A/N: I do not own HP. Thank you for your reviews, they are so helpful. I hope you enjoy this chapter. As always, happy reading.) **

It was just after eight by the time Hermione returned to their home on Holly court. The living room was a complete disaster. There were snacks all over the coffee table, and game pieces lay scattered on the floor. Hermione shook her head. It was a good thing Severus was not here.

"Olivia?" Hermione called out. There were snickers coming from the kitchen. Smiling she made her way to the sound.

"Boo!" the child yelped as Hermione turned the corner. Hermione pretend that the child had really frightened her.

"Oh my!" she exclaimed. Olivia just giggled and scampered over to Remus and Harry, who where sitting at the table. Her pink dress had chocolate sauce all over it. On the table were the remains of what appeared to be left over Sundays.

"I see you guys had fun today." They looked at each other and nodded, smiling. After spending the day with her, Harry realized why Hermione had enjoyed being with the child. Not to mention she was as inquisitive as Hermione. She asked questions all day long. But unlike Hermione, she usually accepted the first answer given.

Hermione had called earlier to tell them Severus' condition. Both were relieved, and told Severus to expect company the next morning. Hermione had given strict orders to the hospital that no members from the media were allowed near him. She knew he would hate any attention in his direction. It would be difficult to deal with when he was released.

Hermione decided that soon it would be time to tell Olivia about her magical abilities, and the existence of the magical world. She told herself that as soon as Severus returned, they would tell her together. As of right now, Olivia did not even know where Severus was.

"I think its bath time," Hermione told her. She turned to the men at the table. "This should take about fifteen or so minutes. Do you want to stick around?"

"Sure, we'll clean up down here," Remus told her.

Hermione marched the happy child up the stairs. As Hermione ran the bathwater, Olivia picked out her nightdress. Adding a bit of bubble bath, Hermione told her to hop in.

"Are you going to wash my hair?" Olivia asked her.

"Don't you think your old enough to wash your own?" Hermione said, laughing,

"But I like it when you do it better," she said, pretending to pout. Hermione could not say no to those big blue eyes.

"The leaves are pretty colours outside," Olivia told her, splashing in the tub.

"Well that's what happens in Autumn," Hermione told her while lathering her hair with strawberry shampoo. Her hair was getting longer, and the curls had a tendency to tangle. She would hate them as she grew older. "You know what else is in Autumn?" Hermione asked her.

"Nope."

"You're _Birthday_."

"Really?" the girl squealed, accidentally splashing Hermione with water. "When? How long do I have to wait?" Hermione smiled and gently dunked the child's head under the water to rinse it out.

"September 14, but you still have a couple of weeks to go." She replied, wrapping a large towel around her.

"Aww, that's rubbish." She said with a very Severus-ish sneer. Hermione burst into laughter.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Hermione told Olivia to wait a moment before allowing her to follow her down the stairs. As she had guessed, Remus and Harry had used magic to clear the room, and it was spotless. When she saw them sitting in front of the television, she motioned for the child to come with her.

"Olivia wants to say goodnight," Hermione told them.

"Toby does too!" Olivia replied, walking carefully down the stairs with her bunny in hand.

"And Toby too," Hermione corrected herself.

The two men bid Olivia goodnight and gave Toby a pat on the head. Hermione walked her back upstairs and red her a story before turning off the lights, and returning to the living room.

"So how does he look?" Harry asked her. Hermione had a dreamy expression.

"He looked much better right before they made me leave. Then he threw a hissy-fit," she replied with a smile.

"So did you guys, uh, get everything straightened out then?" Harry asked, as Remus stared at her intently. She blushed.

"Uh, yeah," she told them looking embarrassed, but extremely happy.

"I suppose you snogged him and everything then," Harry said with a wrinkled nose. This time Remus snorted with laughter.

"Harry!" Hermione said indignantly. Now Harry laughed.

"You better not upset him. He might just put you in _detention_," He told her, trying to contain his laughter.

"That's enough!" she spat, but started to laugh as well. The whole situation really was odd. Then she had a sudden thought. "Oh no, Ron is going to go bonkers," she gasped.

"And your parents?" Remus asked her. She thought about it for a moment.

"I don't think they will really be that surprised. They used to tease me when I was in school because I was always talking about him. They know how much I respect him. And my mother always told me she could see me with an older man."

"Twenty years older?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Um, well maybe I should write to them," Hermione replied biting her lip. She was sure it would be a shock, but she was equally sure it would be alright in the end. Her parents pretty much trusted her judgment.

"I just can not picture you two being all lovey. It just isn't Snape," Harry told her.

"Oh, well he can be pretty passionate when he wants to be," Hermione said with a smirk.

"Now that is just too much information!" Harry exclaimed, throwing a pillow at her.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hermione followed Severus up the path to the house, trying to help him. It had been a nightmare trying to fend off the reporters while Severus was leaving the hospital. It was a relief to finally be home.

"I'm fine," He barked at her for the hundredth time, but she wouldn't listen.

"I know that! Excuse me for caring," she told him as they entered. A surprised Olivia and amused Remus looked up at them.

"Professor!" Olivia exclaimed, and she ran to him to give him a hug. He scooped her up at spun her around. Hermione thought it was the sweetest thing she had ever seen. He really had changed. There was a new energy about him, like he finally had something to live for.

"I missed you! Where were you?" The little girl asked.

"I had a little accident, but I am better now. Have you been having fun with professor Lupin?" he asked, setting her down.

"Yep. We have been playing checkers. He told me that he would teach me how to play chess, but I told him you said you were going to, so he said I should wait."

"Well thank you," he told her smiling. He took a moment to look at her. Really look at her. Her blue and white dress was wrinkled from play, her braids were coming undone, and she had a little bit of jam on her face. She was perfect. He may not be her father, but he loved her like his own, and was proud of her. Now was the time to reveal to her just how special she really was.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Olivia, we need to discuss something with you," Severus told her that evening. She hopped on the seat next to him, holding Toby.

"Okay."

Hermione took the seat to the right of her and allowed Severus to continue.

"Hermione told me what happened a little while ago. When the books fell down," he started gently. The little girl stiffened, her eyes went wide, and her grip on her rabbit increased slightly.

"She said it was an accident," the child frantically defended herself. "She said it was okay."

"He knows that," Hermione put a hand on her shoulder, "but there is a little more to it than I told you. Now, we are not mad, or upset, we just want to talk about it, okay?" the little girl nodded.

"Has other things like that happened?" Snape asked her gently. "Like things moving without you touching them."

Olivia only stared ahead. Severus got off the couch and kneeled before her. She looked at him and started to cry.

"They were accidents too," she said with trembling lips. "I told Mallory I was sorry. I just really wanted buttons, but she wouldn't let me have him. So _he_ came to _me_ instead."

"Anything else?" he asked her.

"Well sometimes when I get really upset things fall down, or break. Like with the books," She said hiccupping. "It doesn't happen all the time. Just when I am really really upset. I don't try to be a bad girl."

"Honey, you aren't a bad girl," Hermione told her.

"Mallory said I was. She told mummy she would only notice her for two more weeks."

Hermione would of laughed at the mistake, but she felt to bad at the child's obvious anguish. She simply corrected her. "I think you mean two weeks notice. And maybe it wasn't because of you. People have to quit jobs for all kinds of reasons," she said trying to make her feel better.

"She called me a freak," the child said, hurt. "It was mean."

"That was mean," Severus told her seriously. "But you are most definitely not a freak, Olivia."

"I'm not?" she asked, hopefully.

"No. there are many people just like you."

"Really?" she asked. "Like who?"

Severus looked at Hermione. Hermione walked up the stairs and into her room. When she walked back down, she was carrying her wand. She sat down next to Olivia, who looked extremely confused at why she was holding a stick. She pointed her wand at Toby, and instantly his fur changed from brown to black. Olivia gave a yelp and let go of him. When he darted off the couch and ran towards the couch, Severus used "immobulous" on him and he stood frozen.

"How did you do that?" she asked in amazement and shock.

"Olivia, I am a witch, and professor Snape is a Wizard," Hermione told her. "And if we are not mistaken, you are a witch too."

"How?"

"Well, you seem to be showing signs of magic. Magical people are just born, not made."

The little girl looked at them both to see if they were joking, but they were quite serious. It took some time before she would even consider that this could be true.

"Can you unfreeze Toby now?" Olivia asked. He reversed the spell, and magically set him back in her arms. She looked uneasy, but trying to understand. Hermione made a move to change his fur back, but she stopped her.

"I like it black," she told her. Severus smirked. _So did he_.

"Olivia, magic has to be kept a secret from muggles," Snape told her. "It is very important you keep the fact you are a witch a secret from anyone who don't know is a witch or wizard."

"What's a muggle?" Olivia asked.

"A muggle is a non-magical person," Hermione supplied.

"So I am not allowed to be friends with muggles?" she asked, clearly upset. "What about Harry and Professor Lupin? Are they muggles? Can I still be friends with them?"

"First of all, of course you can be friends with muggles. You can be friends with anyone you want to be. Wizards and Witches are no better than muggles, they are just different," Hermione told her. "Some Magical people think they are better, but it just isn't true. What Professor Snape was saying is that most muggles don't know magic exists. It has to be kept a secret. Also, you don't have to worry. Harry and Professor Lupin are wizards."

The little girl breathed a sigh of relief. These things she could understand. And in time, she would understand more about the magical world. It was just a difficult subject to take in as a child if you aren't brought up from the start in a magical home.

"Was my mummy a witch too? Is that why I am?" she asked. Severus and Hermione looked at each other, trying to decide who would take this question. He gave her a look like "you are better at this".

"Your mum was actually a muggle," Hermione told her.

"Oh, so than my daddy was a wizard." She said with confidence. Hermione bit her lip. She _knew_ there was a reason she always wanted to know the answers to everything.

"Well, um, actually I don't think so," she told her.

"But if magical people or born, how can I be magical if my mummy and daddy weren't."

"Well, what I meant by saying magical people were born, not made, is that you cant do magic if you are born a muggle. You are born one or the other. That doesn't mean that only muggles will have muggles, or Witches and Wizards will have magical children. In fact, my parents are both muggles." Hermione told her.

"Really?" the little girl said with a smile. This made her feel better. Hermione was her favorite person. If she was a muggle-born witch, then Olivia was glad that she was too.

"Its true," Severus told her. "And Hermione was the smartest student in the entire school."

Now this really made Olivia smile, and Hermione blush.

"You see Olivia. I used to teach at a school for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Maybe you will get to go there when you are older," Snape told her. He was glad to see that she was finally accepting the situation. The questions that she was asking was a very good sign that she was happy about the news.

"However, you aren't allowed to magic until you go to school," he told her. She looked disappointed.

"Why not?"

"Its just the rule. When you turn eleven and start your first year of magical school, you will get your first wand and you can use magic at school. You aren't allowed to use magic at home until you are seventeen," Hermione told her.

"That's in forever!" the little girl complained. Hermione and Severus smiled at each other. They had hated that rule as well.

"Any other questions?" Hermione asked. The little girl thought for a moment.

"Can you make my nightgown green?" she asked Hermione. Hermione laughed.

A half hour later Olivia was tucked into bed and Severus and Hermione were laying on the couch, exhausted. It had been a very long day.

"She took it well, didn't she?" Hermione asked. Severus nodded and stroked her hair, kissing her on the forehead. She reached up and gave him a quick peck, but afterwards she curled her lip. "Black and Green, huh? I have a feeling that one is going to end up in Slytherin."

Snape snorted, and pulled Hermione back for another kiss.

**(A/N: well I was going to leave you with another cliffie, but I decided the next chapter would flow better if I didn't. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you to my reviewers, I love to hear your thoughts. The next chapter should be up in a day or two, depending on how much feedback I get. I have gotten a lot of inspiration from you guys.)**


	14. Chapter 14

**(A/N: I do not own Hp. Enjoy the chapter.) **

"Severus, Olivia's birthday is next week. I think we should have a party for her," Hermione told him. "We can invite Harry, Remus, and the Weasleys."

Hermione could tell he was displeased by the scowl on his face.

"Oh come on, Severus. After all you two have gone through together, can't you try to find some common ground?" she asked, exasperated.

"It isn't that. Harry and Remus are fine, but must we really make plans to mingle with those other buffoons?" Well, okay, Arthur and Molly were respectable, but their children were wild animals trapped in human form. And he just did not like Ron. Ron and Hermione had been in a relationship. That was reason enough to want him to get lost.

Hermione decided that having him agree to Harry's invitation was a victory in itself, so she decided to drop her Weasley argument. But she did express her dislike at his use of the word "buffoons" towards her friends. He did not apologize. She had not expected him to.

"We will set the date for the Saturday after her birthday," Hermione continued. "Don't worry, I will take care of the preparations."

"Alright, that sounds good. Planning a child's birthday party is not exactly my forte." He told her.

She smiled and gave him a kiss, wondering exactly what she had done to deserve the wonderful man sitting before her.

xxxxxxxxxx

Severus and Hermione continued digging into the child's history, but could find nothing relevant in their search for information. It wasn't until he observed Olivia playing with her bunny one day, did a thought suddenly strike him.

"Toby is afraid of everything," she complained out loud. "I think we should rename him to scaredy," she told Severus, placing him back in his cage.

"Is that so?" he replied, trying to sound interested.

"Yep," then she made a face of deep concentration. "Are you allowed to change names? Or is it a rule that once you have one you have to keep it?"

"Well, it isn't a rule. But people usually keep the names they have. Unless they get married, or break the law or something of that nature." And then it hit him.

_Oh Merlin, I never thought of that! _Snape mentally slapped himself. To be fair, Hermione had not either, but he still felt like a complete idiot. That would be such a simple answer as to why no information had surfaced. _I will start first thing in the morning. _

Xxxxxxxxx

Snape stared down at the document in disbelief. But there it was, plain as day. He was holding a signed and legal certificate, changing Geoffrey Marc Windsor II to Geoffrey Marc Taylor.

Earlier that morning, Snape had knocked on Harry Potter's door and requested the use of his invisibility cloak, which Hermione had confided in him its existence. He explained that he did not want to draw media attention from the blood sucking reporters as he went down to the Ministry to do some research. He went straight to the hall of records, and began looking up name changes from the past five years. He ran the names into a magical sorting system that highlights any who are confirmed as deceased. None came up. He tried going ten years back, and two came up. He researched the first, who had died in a duel at age 42, three years back. _Nope._ He looked up the second.

Geoffrey Marc Windsor II. Dead at age 31. Died in the service of her Majesty, the queen of England. And on and on it went. Severus scanned the page until he came to what he wanted. Born to Geoffrey Marc Windsor (I) and Maria Eden Windsor (Deceased).

Severus was torn. He could stop now. Pretend he had never discovered the information, and just return home. Hermione would never need to know. But it wasn't right. It was not fair to any of them. Not to Olivia, or the family she might have that may be worried about her fate. He needed to find the truth.

Xxxxxxxxxx

_Oh Merlin, how do I tell Hermione?_ Snape asked himself in despair. It was hard enough for Severus to bear, having suffered a life full of disappointment. How would Hermione handle the news that they were going to loose Olivia?

He had found all the missing pieces to the puzzle. Her father had been an only child. His mother had died a few years back, but his father was alive and well, and living in a Mansion in a posh neighbored, only a few blocks away from where the Malfoy's had inhibited.

Severus was positive he had it all figured out. Geoffrey II had probably fallen in love with a muggle girl, and his parents had not liked the idea of him leaving the magical world, so he changed his name and ran away with her. They probably had no idea Olivia was even in existence. His father was probably deeply remorseful, and just waiting for an opportunity to make it up to his son. What better way to do so than caring for his orphan child? Snape felt so sick inside that he could barely stomach it. He was about to loose his little girl.

Xxxxxxxx

"You are sure?" Hermione asked, tears streaming down her cheeks. He nodded, a single tear fell from his lashes, and they clung to each other. Hermione sobbed on his shoulder. "I had wanted to find out so badly! Now I wish I would have just listened to you. Knowing the truth is so much worse." He could no words to comfort her, because he completely agreed. "What should we do now?"

"I think we should talk to her grandfather before we get her involved," Severus told her. He led her to the couch and sat down, taking her into his arms. "We will talk to him, and then go from there."

"But her birthday?"

"We will still celebrate it. We will talk to him, and bring her the day after her birthday. He can't deny us that."

"Oh Severus, I just cant stand this. How can we just let her go? I can't!"

He could only hold her and whisper useless words like "It will be okay." It was a waste of breath. They both knew they would not be okay without her. Their little family was being torn apart, and time had run out.

Xxxxxxxx

The day before Olivia's fifth birthday, Severus apperated to the gates of the gigantic Windsor Mansion. The gates were a charcoal silver, and had serpents circling the bars at each end, heads pointed at one another, fangs bared. This man had most definitely been a proud member of slytherin. _No wonder the boy had run off to marry his muggle_, Severus thought. Hermione was at home, doing her best not to cry in front of Olivia. She just hoped the man would agree to let Olivia stay the night and have her birthday celebration.

Severus had owled the man two nights previous, asking for an interview, and explaining that he had some important family facts he needed to reveal to the man. The man replied with permission to come to his home.

And here they were. When Severus knocked on the door, a maid answered, and asked who was calling. He gave his name, and she invited him in. He was asked to wait in the parlor until Mr. Windsor was able to meet with him. Ten minutes later he was shown into the man's office.

"Yes, please sit," the man gestured to the chair in front of his mahogany desk. His robes were of the finest quality, and his dark wavy hair was tied behind his head at the nape of his neck. He gave off an air of complete arrogance.

"Thank you for meeting with me," Severus told him. "I'm sorry to bring up an obviously painful subject, but I have information about your son," he told him in a sympathetic tone.

"My son?" the man asked in disbelief. "I'm sorry, but you are mistaken. I have no son."

Severus' jaw nearly dropped. He was sure he had the right man. What was this guy playing at?

"Are you not Geoffrey Marc Windsor I, father to Geoffrey Marc Windsor II?"

"I am sorry, but you are mistaken. I am also sorry you came all this way for nothing."

Severus would not accept that answer. He used his power of legilimency, and picked up a strong vibe that the man was lying. He became angry, and slapped down the death certificate, obituary, and certificate of name change. "I believe sir, that this is information regarding your son."

The man took up the paperwork and scanned it. Snape was almost positive he saw a flicker of pain in the man's eyes, but it was so brief that Severus thought he had imagined it.

"Alright. You got me. What do you want to keep it quiet?" the man asked, getting up and moving towards his wall vault.

"Excuse me?" Severus asked in disbelief and shock.

"Don't play dumb. So you know my son was a squib. I cannot let that information get out and ruin my reputation. How much do you want to pretend you never heard that name before?" he said ruthlessly.

"I don't want your money, you bastard," Snape seethed.

"Then what, exactly, is it that you want?" The man questioned.

"I came to tell you that your son and his wife have died, and left behind a child. _Your Grandchild_!"

The man let out a low, mocking laugh. "Oh, and you thought I would want a little squib brat running around, did you?" he asked with his eyebrows raised. "It was hard enough for me to get rid of the first one. I just kept telling myself that he was a late bloomer, you know? But by the time he turned twelve, and still nothing, I knew. I sent him to live with his aunt, who is dead now before you get any ideas of getting rid of the kid, and I haven't seen him since. His mother was lucky she never had to learn the truth about her son. She would have been devastated. And I was left to pick up the pieces."

Snape was using every bit of self-control he could muster not to hex him into oblivion. He should be proud to have Olivia, magical or not. He was almost tempted to reveal the fact she really was a witch to this man, but decided not to. It was one thing to deliver the child he loved into the hands of a caring family member who's heart was bursting with happiness to have her. But this man, this thing, who would never love her for who she was, only for what she could do, was not going to get anywhere near her.

"So you are not interested then?" Severus asked him, one final time.

"Not in the least," the man replied. "Do what you like with her, but leave me out of it."

"Well then that's that," Severus said, standing. Fury was written all over his face, as he turned to leave, the man stopped him. His face was a little softer, but there was still a cold air around him.

"Just out of curiosity, what are you planning to do with her?" he asked, trying to sound as disinterested as he could.

"I plan on taking her into my home and raising her," Severus replied, matter of factly. The man nodded.

"Wait," he called as Severus turned once more to leave. He spun to give him a questioning look. "Well, here." The man said, conjuring up a piece of parchment and singing the bottom of it. He rolled it up and handed it to Severus. "Now I don't want to see your face here ever again."

Severus Snape stood outside the gates and looked back at the house. He could not believe a man could be so unfeeling to his own flesh and blood, and all because he had been a squib. His own father would have rejoiced if he had been a squib.

Severus looked down in his hand at the piece of paper. He unraveled it and smiled. For probably the first time in his life, that vile man had done the right thing. Severus Snape was holding the document releasing all rights to the guardianship of Olivia Taylor from Geoffrey Winsdor I to Severus Snape. He could not wait to tell Hermione the good news. They were a family once again, and soon, it would be legally as well.

Xxxxxxxxx

**(A/N: whew, another chapter up. Wow that guy was a mean-head, but at least Olivia gets to stay. There are two chapters left, and I should get one up before Tuesday. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please Review if you get a chance.)**


	15. Chapter 15

**(A/N: I don't own HP)**

Snape went straight to the ministry to make the necessary preparations for commencing the guardianship of Olivia Taylor. He received many glares as he walked straight to the front of the long, winding line, but once he was recognized as Severus Snape, the looks ceased immediately. The paper work was promptly filed, and with Olivia's consent, the adoption would be finalized as soon as the bonding ceremony was performed.

He knew it was extremely evil, but he wanted to wait until her birthday party to tell Hermione the good news. Olivia's birthday was the next day, and her party was the day following. He just had one more stop to make before he could go home: the jewelry store.

Xxxxxxxxxx

"What happened?" Hermione nearly pounced on him the moment he walked through the door. He managed to keep his face clear of emotion.

"We can still celebrate her birthday with the party," was all he said.

"Oh," Hermione said, crestfallen. She tried to smile, but it was very strained. "Well that's a relief I guess. She is really excited about it."

"Yes."

"So what did he _say_?" she asked.

"I don't really care for the man. I mean, he chucked his own son out of the house just because he was a squib."

"A _squib_? I didn't even think about that! And I am supposed to be the know-it-all. How awful. How can we let Olivia stay with a man like that?" she said horrified.

"Well we are still going to be part of her life. We can see her as much as we want," Snape said smoothly. So far everything he had said had been the truth, he was just omitting certain facts."

"He said that?"

"In so many words. But I propose we don't tell her anything until after her birthday. Why upset her if we don't have to? Lets make these next two days completely about her."

"You're right," Hermione said sadly.

Xxxxxxxxx

When Olivia awoke the next morning she was excited. _Today is my Birthday!_ She told herself with glee. She bounded down the steps two at a time. Severus and Hermione had chocolate chip pancakes waiting for her.

"Happy birthday Olivia" they chimed together.

"Thank you," she said happily.

"But you don't get your presents until tomorrow," Severus told her.

"Awww, man," she said, wrinkling her nose.

"But today is your special day, so what do you want to do?" Hermione asked her, wanting to give her anything her heart desired.

"I don't know."

Hermione thought a moment. What had she liked to do when she was a child? Then it hit her.

"We can go ice skating if you want to."

The child's eyes danced and she threw up her hands.

"Yeah! Let's go ice skating."

If looks could kill. Severus was not thrilled at Hermione's suggestion one bit. He had been horrible on the ice as a child. Chances are he had not improved much.

"I think I'll just watch," Severus stated.

"But it wont be fun unless you skate too," Olivia whined. "Puh-lease".

Severus knew he was in for a very embarrassing day.

Because it was still early in the morning, the rink was nearly empty. Severus preferred it that way when he was about to make a complete fool of himself. Apparently Olivia and Hermione had done this together before, because Olivia fearlessly, and effortlessly strode onto the ice and waited in the center for Hermione. Both girls had made two full laps around by the time Severus had tied his skates. They came back to the entrance and waited for him.

Severus stepped onto the ice extremely unsteadily. He held onto the short wall and began to slowly shift his feet. He had gone about ten feet in one minute. Hermione and Olivia were trying to hide their giggles. He scowled at them. _Okay, steady now. If I can stand up to the most evil man on earth, I can certainly stay on my feet in skates._ By now he had made it half way around the rink, still gripping the wall. Five minutes later he was feeling a little better. _Okay, I think I got the hang of this._

He pushed away from the wall and moved towards the center, a smile forming on his lips. Within three seconds the smile faded into a startled expression as his hands groped frantically at the air. SPLAT! He was lying at on the ice at an odd angle. Hermione started cracking up, and Severus tried to get up to shoot her a dirty look, but in the process fell down once again. Hermione really lost it now. Snape was about to announce that he was done ice skating if Hermione was going to keep that up, but Olivia stifled her giggles and skated over to him, hand outstretched. He took it.

"Maybe if we hold your hand you wont fall down," she suggested. Snape smiled and thanked her. Hermione then came over with her hand out, and she was rewarded with a nasty scowl. She made a show of pretending she didn't care and skated off. She skated circles around him frontward, then backwards, and ended with a giant leap into the air, landing cleanly on her skates. Severus was torn between pride and jealousy.

"Show off!" he yelled out.

Xxxxxxxxxx

After he had managed to learn how to stay upright, he had to admit it had been amusing. He was also learning a lot he did not know about Hermione. She was so graceful out on the ice. They re-entered the home on Holly Court with grins from ear to ear. Everything was going fine until Hermione slipped out of Olivia's room, tucking her in for her nap.

Severus was reading the _Daily Prophet_ in the living room when he heard muffled noises coming from Hermione's bedroom. He made his way up the stairs and tapped at the door. When she didn't reply he opened the door a crack, to see her sobbing into her pillow.

"Hermione?" Severus called out. She sniffed and wiped her eyes and nose.

"I can't do it anymore. I can't pretend like everything is okay. She doesn't even know its coming. We need to tell her."

Severus realized that even though he had wanted to surprise Hermione, it really was cruel to keep it from her any longer. "Wait here, there is something I need to tell you, but I need to grab something first."

In a flash he returned, and stepped into her room, casting a silencing charm. She looked at him curiously.

"I had wanted to surprise you both, but now I see that it was wrong to not tell you from the beginning."

"Tell me what?"

"Hermione, Olivia isn't going anywhere."

"What?" she questioned in astonishment. "Then why did you tell me she was?" she asked angrily.

"Actually," he corrected her, "I never said she was. If you listened carefully, I was honest in every answer, I just omitted a few key elements."

"Well lying by omission is still lying!" she argued.

This was not going the way he had expected. He realized he was wrong, but for some reason he could not get the words "I'm sorry" out. Instead he was trying to rationalize his behavior. She was not going for it. _Just say it. You feel bad, you were wrong; it isn't going to kill you._

"Hermione, I'm sorry, you're right. I should have told you."

"And furthermore- wait, what?"

"I said I am sorry."

"Oh", she said, clearly surprised by his apology.

"And I wanted to show you something," He replied, pulling out the papers he had obtained the previous day. If all went as planned, she would legally be his daughter in a little more than twenty-four hours. When she read them her eyes went wide.

"This is wonderful," she said, her anger clearly melting away by the news.

"He signed the papers and gave me legal custody. I think deep down, even though he didn't want to be bothered, part of him wanted to know she was taken care of."

"And I cant think of anyone she would rather be with," she told him, kissing his cheek.

"And you?" he asked her kissing her neck, sending a shiver down her spine.

"There is no place I would rather be either."

"Good, because I love you, and I have no intention of letting you go anytime soon."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Harry and Lupin were sitting at the table, eating cake. Well, Harry was more like devouring his. Everyone laughed when the birthday girl whispered to him that he had frosting on his chin.

"Is it present time _now_," Olivia asked impatiently.

"Yes," Severus told her. She jumped off her seat excitedly and scampered over to the "throne" Severus had conjured for his birthday princess. Remus handed her a small package, which contained an enchanted tea set that poured the tea and added just the right amount of milk and sugar. She thanked him, and moved to open Harry's gift.

"A broom?" she asked, clearly skeptical.

"Aw, come on Hermione, don't tell me you didn't let her in on the best part of the wizarding world?" he said amused.

"Don't you think she is a little young for a broom?" She asked with her chin in her air. It was no secret that Hermione hated flying.

"You're never too young for a broom," he said with a grin. "Hey, Maybe I can teach you both to fly at the same time."

"Brooms make you _fly_?" Olivia asked in amazement. "Fun!"

Hermione had given Olivia a beautiful doll, with long black hair, and an emerald dress. Snape raised an eyebrow, but judging by Olivia's reaction, it was the perfect choice.

"Are you ready for your last present?" Severus asked the little girl, who nodded eagerly. He handed her a small box. When she opened it she let out a small "Wow".

It was a golden heart shaped locket, with a delicate chain that glittered in the light. On the front side of the necklace, the letters O.S. were inscribed in cursive lettering.

"O.S.?" she questioned. His heart constricted in sudden nervousness. What if she didn't go for the idea? Then what did he do? Her questioning eyes made him realize that everyone in the room was also watching him intently. He swallowed with some difficulty and kneeled beside the girl's chair.

"O.S. stands for Olivia Snape," he told the child.

"But, my name is Olivia Taylor," she told him, wondering how he could have confused such a thing.

"I know that. But I was thinking, maybe you would like to become Olivia Snape. How would that sound to you?" He asked her.

"How can I do that?"

"Well, it would mean that I would be your new daddy," he told her. There. He had said it.

"You want to be my daddy?" she asked him. He nodded, awaiting _some_ type of reaction out of her. He got it. She lunged off the chair and gave him the biggest, tightest hug that her little body was able. "When?" she asked him excitedly.

"Whenever you want."

"Now?"

"Sure."

"Does this mean Miss Hermione is going to be my new mummy?" Olivia asked. Severus looked over at Hermone, who had tears in her eyes.

"Well that depends on Miss Hermione," Snape told her, taking something out of his pocket. He turned to Hermione, got down on one knee, took her hand, and opened the box. She, Harry, and Remus all let out a gasp when they saw the perfect diamond ring.

"Hermione Granger," he spoke silkily. "I love you, and I can not picture myself spending a single day without you by my side. This family will not be complete without you in it. Please Hermione, will you marry me?"

Hermione was in an absolute daze, and could utter no sound. With her mouth hanging open, she nodded. He took out the ring and slid it onto her finger. Severus kissed Hermione, and then picked up Olivia. Harry and Remus gave a cheer and offered their congratulations.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Hermione and Severus asked Remus to be Olivia's godfather, and he happily agreed. Harry consented to be the bonder for the ceremony. Snape read the incantation and Hermione repeated it. Harry pricked the fingers of all three participants to draw a tiny drop of blood. Olivia flinched, and Severus smiled at her. When each of them touched their finger to the document, their blood intermixed, and all were captured in a glow of blue light. Harry, Hermione, and Severus all touched the piece of parchment with their wands; Harry's to bear witness to the event. It disappeared with a burst of blue sparks, and they knew it had reappeared in the ministry hall of records.

It was official. They were finally a family, and there was nothing that could tear them apart.

"Happy Birthday, Olivia."

**(A/N: Well, that was the last real chapter, but I plan to have an epilogue up sometime tomorrow. I'll try to wrap up the loose ends and anything left unanswered in it. (Including which house she gets sorted into, I know some of you are dying to know.) I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and the chapters leading up to it. Please Review. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for the epilogue.)**


	16. Epilogue

**(A/N: I still do not own HP. Also, I just wanted to thank my reviewers one last time. It really was wonderful waking up in the morning and coming home from work to such nice words. I hoped you enjoyed the story.)**

Hermione told the news of her and Severus' engagement to Minerva and the Weasleys. Minerva, Molly, and Arthur were surprised, but offered their congratulations to the couple. They Weasley children were positive Hermione had gone bonkers. Ron and Ginny were the last to come around, but they eventually did. Ginny even agreed to be Hermione's maid of honour at their wedding a year later, standing up with Remus Lupin, Severus' best man.

A few years later Harry and Ginny also tied the knot, and Ginny was pregnant with her first child. Ron had some trouble staying committed in a relationship, but he is currently dating a sweet girl he met at the ministry. He and Harry are now Aurors, and Ginny is a mediwitch for St. Mungo's.

Olivia went to a muggle school up until she was eleven years old. She was bright, outgoing, and very talented. Hermione and Severus worked together at the ministry in the research and development department, though Hermione worked at home during summers to be with Olivia.

This arrangement worked well up until the summer Olivia was sent her letter from Hogwarts. Accompanying the letter were two other letters addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Snape. Minerva, still headmistress of Hogwarts, was offering the positions of Professor of transifugration to Hermione, and the choice between Professor of potions, or defense against the dark arts to Severus. After much deliberation, he decided upon potions. He had dealt with the dark arts for long enough.

The day of Olivia's sorting came. The new Professors were introduced during Minerva's speech. Many children whispered when they saw professor Snape. Most of their parents had had him as a teacher, and his reputation had preceded him. His teaching methods had hardly changed, though he vowed not to favor his slytherin house, which he was reinstated as head. Hermione did not believe him, and made him aware that, as head of gryffindor, she would be watching him closely. They had their quarters together in the dungeons.

The sorting proceeded, and Olivia Snape was called. The hat was diligently trying to decide where to place her. Hermione was sitting at the edge of her seat, but Severus was sitting back, pretending he was not apprehensive in the least. Inside he was squirming with nerves.

The hat was taking much longer to decide than both Hermione and Severus thought necessary. Olivia had many positive, but contradicting personality traits. Having Severus and Hermione as her adoptive parents had given her an edge when it came to intelligence. They made her aware of how important academics were.

Bravery came naturally to Olivia. After living such an uncommon life growing up, coming upon the unknown was never scary to her, but seen as a challenge. She also had an outgoing nature, and sometimes quite a temper when she became frustrated.

Her intelligence, fearlessness, and pride had equated into a sense of cunning in the child when she really wanted something. Watching and imitating Severus' behavior had also helped. His strong feelings towards the house had rubbed off on her more than Hermione's feelings towards gryffindor, because though she had a close relationship with hermione, Severus Snape was her idol. Having a slytherin background in her family had also helped create these traits in her.

Hufflepuff was out of the question. She had already made up her mind that if the hat put her there, it would be a disgrace in her eyes, and she vowed that she would walk right out.

The hat finally came to a decision.

"SLYTHERIN!" it bellowed. Happily Olivia joined her housemates at the Slytherin table.

"YES!" Severus cried out, raising a fist to the level of his jaw. The entire staff table and the four tables of student were shocked, and turned to look at him with gaping mouths. He gave them all a menacing glare, and all eyes but Hermione's looked away.

"Well you are very excited," she said with a smirk. Severus leaned back in his chair.

"Don't be jealous. I can't help it if she is more like me," he said snarkily. Hermione rolled her eyes, but then gave Severus a sly smile.

"That's okay, maybe I will get the next one," she told him. "I think that's fair, one slytherin, one gryffindor."

It took a moment for her words to register in his mind.

"Wait, what?" he whispered. "Are you-?" She nodded with a large cheeky grin. He smiled back and squeezed her hand under the table.

From the slytherin table Olivia gave a small wave, but you could not miss the pride in her face. Severus smiled and nodded in her direction. He was extremely excited about the child on the way, and could not wait to meet the little person, but no one would ever be able to take the place of his little princess.

Fin.

**(A/N: Yay! Go Slytherin. And now I have finished the sequel to this story as well. Take a peek into Olivia's life in "Am I enough". Its a shorter Fic. )**

**In case anyone is interested, I have authored another complete fanfic, but it is a SS/OC romance. There are a few warnings that go along with it.**

It is rated M for mild sexual abuse (not by snape, he's the good guy.) but not in great description.

There is a lot of angst

The OC is a student, but nothing happens until she is an adult.

Its called, W_ill You Let Me In,_ and you can find it on my profile page.

Thanks for the support. Good luck to all you writers out there, and as always, Happy Reading.


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